Fatal Frame: The Endless Defacement
by Dharknia
Summary: 1st per POV. FF 1, 2, and 3 A girl must survive the horrors and terrors of a much larger and more dangerous village and its own reason for destruction. New and old spirits make their way into a haunting plot of rituals and deaths. COMPLETE!
1. Arms of Apathy

Disclaimer

**Please read: **I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the second Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter One

Arms of Apathy

"_As the cold nights return,_

_I remember the red on my hands,_

_And the hands on my neck"_

I take my hand from the cool water of the running stream. I splash a little on my face. It is so warm out here in the deep forest. The trees even seem like they are melting under the unbearable sun. My green eyes, as pastel and mint colored as they are, scan my small reflection. I smile as the ripples make me look ten years older. I shouldn't have wrinkles yet! I laugh to myself. I caress my lower back-length black hair with my damp fingers. It will probably make my hair frizzy, but who will see me out here? I am alone in the deep forest with the cool water of the running stream. I am. I am and I prefer it that way. You cannot begin to understand what I went through, and I regret even mentioning it thus far. Let's just say the world is cruel and I wish I never had to face it.

Carelessly, I throw my large bundle of small belongings over my shoulder. It is the basic traveler's knapsack. I tied a blue bandanna to a stick. It is not much, but it is something to me. My denim jeans are ripped and my left knee is bleeding from a small cut (I tripped a few hours ago.) My white tank top is filthy with sweat stains and smudged make-up that I wiped from under my eyes. The weather is not kind to eyeliner! As it smears down my cheeks, it only makes the heat worse. I think most of it is gone now. I must be on my fifth day out here. The days are hot and sticky and the nights… They are cold, frigid at arctic levels! It may be my teenage imagination, but I keep hearing things, scary, strange things. But… I don't believe in ghosts.

"_Something…" _He says to me every night in an eerie whisper, _"… happened…"_

Pages after pages come swirling in the breeze to me. I started putting them in order. I'm only on the fourth page, but most of them come in scraps. Did it belong to someone in the village? Does it belong to the man that I keep hearing? The owner of this apparent diary must be elderly. They look so worn out and old. It's almost like the pages have mold growing on them. Ugh, not the best thing to deal with. I can barely make out what the words say. Certain ones are fairly readable. It mentions a strange place with something dark and mysterious happening. Here and there are ramblings about researchers and priests. This isn't the first time I've heard of this. I just never thought _this_ forest is a way into the area. I came here all the time when I was younger. This woman I often talked to is very nice. I had no idea that she is… _her_…

You don't need to know me. You just need to know not to come here: ever! The nights aren't the only things that are cold. The voices aren't they only things that are strange. I have seen it all happen. I was there. I can remember holding the putrefying flesh of a stranger's hand. It shook with great pain and fear as if the very emotions were breeding in their veins. I remember watching the doe eyes becoming hollow. The seeing organs just dispersed to the back of his skull. I can remember whispering into the ear filled with maggots. _"I want to crawl inside your head… and eat my way out."_ I was about to hang him up to dry… when… I wake up.

I do it every night. It is always the same thing. Am I supposed to hang them? Should I free them? Their cries and screams are so real. It is just a dream? I was there. I _am_ there… here… That woman I visited as a girl… She was, _is_ somebody I am close to, someone I have known all of my life. Her name haunts me. It drives me. I run in this deep forest in hopes of finding her, finding the dark place, but… I only hear the man's voice and receive the pages that I do not understand. I wish… I wish the voices would stop. Although, if they did stop… I'd want them back.

Aside from everything, I carry on. I pick up my stuff and keep on walking. I am walking deeper and deeper. I will not sleep tonight. I will remain awake and find my voice. It is exasperating to me. My hiking boots are ruined and feel like they will fall apart on any step. I will go barefoot if I must. I will be impervious to pain. I keep pushing through the thick trees and follow the narrow path that turns left and right. This is when I see it. It's the woman. She's wearing her white kimono. I call out to her, but I cannot hear her name. I know I am saying it, but my words choke. She keeps wheezing. I hope she is alright. I quicken my steps, but no matter how fast I become her injured steps are always ahead of me. What's going on? It is not long before the night suddenly strikes me. The forest becomes darker and the strong smell of burnt ashes rushes my nostrils. I can almost see the fire.

I continuously call after her, but the name does not surface. A listless sorrow scolds my longing to get her to look at me. I know that if I can just see her face that I will remember everything; that the answer to my dreams will come to me. If she will just look at me, then I will finally be able to sleep! It's her face that I cannot remember. I reach out when I seem closer to her, but my hand swipes through. She's a pellucid memory that vanishes away at the edge of the path. I gasp in disbelief. It is not for the fact that she disappeared, but it is the sight below me. The dark place, can it be? I heard that it is nothing more than a figure of people's imagination, but there are lit torches next to me. Someone is here. Is it my childhood memory (the woman)? Her presence may be leading me to my past. I cannot wait! Sadly, I find, I will have to.

My mortification continues as I take a quiet path to the left of me. It leads me to a long bridge. I can see the ghostly white figure of a small girl. She is not facing me, but that pink kimono… I had one once… She kneels over and picks something up. I cannot see it, but it must have been a plant of some sort. I think she smells it. I can hear her giggle. A shiny object gleams through her translucent form. It appears to be a small trinket of some sort around her neck. The color is so attractive, kind of like a _mint green_… I go to step onto the unstable bridge just as a ghost's arms reach around me. It looks like it is trying to cover my mouth as if it is afraid I'll scream or something. My heart begins to pound so hard like it's on fire even though the contact is cold and numbing! Who, or what, is it behind me? Why does it feel like they are trying to kill me? What is happening here?

I close my eyes in instinct. I feel my calf muscles tighten as my brain commands my legs to turn and run as fast as I can. It seems like years before the signals are noticed. I kick up lose soil behind me as I take off. I head past whatever 'thing' is here. I never once open my eyes. I let my memories lead me. It makes the night lighten. The air is slightly warm with a tranquil breeze. The trees are full of color and stand proud amongst the bright forest. I cannot smell the fire. I can only smell… roses? Something strikes my right knee at this moment. I fall to the ground. My memory dies off. The night returns as my eyes open. The ground is as cold as the air is once more. The trees are all dead and bare of everything except leafless despair. And her whispers, _"This…This was never to be… If only you had stayed…with me! We could have left this world in each other's arms… Now I'm cold… so cold…" _My heart froze. I heard it from somewhere before. It was a part of something in my past. I knew this person? So I am like… _her…_

I turn around with hopes of seeing the spirit's face. She isn't here anymore. I quickly look around. Everything is like it remains to be each night: quiet, still, eerie, and dead. It is only after I get back on my feet that I notice something glistening under some dirt. I brush away the coverings to unearth a rose head (no stem.) It is very pretty. The pedals are soft and the nicest shade of red that I have ever seen. I gently cuff my hands around it when it disintegrates before my very eyes. I blink rapidly in confusion. Did I just see what I think I did? It did not wither away in dust. It withers into warm droplets of blood. It is all over my hands and quickly spreading. It makes me remember something; something very precious… divine… beautiful. I can't quite make it clear in my mind, but I can see a blurry face. They are smiling and I think they are holding my hand. My hands feel a little warm and soft. Something happens. They aren't smiling anymore. They are crying. They start to grab at my face. Their blood moistens me with its warmth. Strangely, I feel nothing for them. I wipe the blood away… and I look at my hands.

A young man's voice echoes from the village below. I am back at the edge of the path. My hands are filthy from the fall to the ground, but are otherwise clean of any evidence of blood. I am really confused. What is he saying? Is he saying it to me? Why do I feel like I should be crying? I try and listen more intently to the young man's voice. I catch only a fragment of what he says: _"The… Angel… ble---… bones in the—Tougher than… --ought… be…the darkness… ruins… ch--… bloody carp--… Bla--- Mas—er Tanaka… Maybe… the priestess—wi--… --nd me… Stoned… -eath…"_ Why is there so much static in his echo? It sounds like it is over a phone or a radio or something. I am relieved in thinking someone else is here. I can only pray they are human. As the wind picks up something hits me in the shoulder. I jump and look over. It's only a worn notebook. It feels severely wet like it has been under water for a period of time. The cover of it is purple and velvety. Most of the pages are missing, but about four of them are still well intact.

**Woman's Recollection 1:** _"His kiss is poison. I found myself no longer in love with him. I saw the look in his eyes. He wants to kill me. Why hasn't anyone come to save me? We've been out here in the forest for days. I'm so scared. He says I am crazy, but I know I can hear people talking. I… I don't believe in ghosts, not usually. They… say things… really weird stuff. He won't admit it, but I know he hears them. I can see his body tense when the man whispers, 'We need another one… Fresh meat… Look at this stranger… His heart is…already bloody…' **1/4 **I find myself forgetting why we even came out here. I think he tricked me into believing it's romantic. I forgot my family. I can't remember their names! What happened to me? I can FEEL everything changing. It's like thousands of parasites are pulling at my chest… He wants to kill me…I know it…**2/4 **The nights are getting longer as we keep traveling deeper into the forest. Why are we moving? Shouldn't we be heading back the way we came? He must want to lure me somewhere further away from humanity so no one will see; no one will find my decaying body. Oh, well… I have nothing left…**3/4** Fire… the hands… They are all leading me to the place…The blood comes over the railing, over the bridge… The river is drowning him… He WANTED to kill me…He should have when he had the chance to…Villagers are—**4/4**"_

"Huh?" I flip through the remaining pages. "They're blank… I guess the river explains why it's wet… What happened to her, I wonder? Is she still here?" I look back at the village below. It is way too foggy to see anything besides pale roofs and deserted paths. The young man's echo has since disappeared. It doesn't seem very threatening to me. It looks like it is just a deserted place. I cannot comprehend the horrible things I heard. Folklore is folklore, I guess. They can't _all_ be true, anyway. I did hear that the dark place vanished along with its rituals and cultural customs. I mean, look! It's right before me. It is supposed to be flooded, too. Even if civilization has left it, it couldn't hurt to look for a place to sleep and eat for a night. I'm low on food and sick of resting my head on rocks. _It will be a change for once_… Did… that just echo?

I take the path to the right now. The trip down is without disturbance. Although I am still leery of the desolate trees and the humdrum night, I find relief in the fact that I cannot feel any strange 'thing' around me. I do find myself often jerking my head quickly in all directions when I think I spot something in the corner of my eye. So far it is only the slight rustle of the grass or the last leaf letting go of a branch. When I think I hear her again I find it is my own breath or my own footsteps. I am worrying too much. The entire scare can be caused by self-delirium. It is possible for one to hallucinate after sustaining hours without food or water, or even decent rest. Each step I take is another whisper I think I can hear echoing in the hollow wind. Every time I wearingly blink is another movement I think I see in the corner of my eye. I am so weak. I hope I can find someplace nice in the village.

I just enter the edge of the village when a spirit pops up from behind me. It's a little boy dressed in peasant clothes. He has messy brown hair and bare feet. He laughs playfully while running right past me. I recant from the closeness and bring my clasped hands to my mouth, but I relax and smile at the spirit. He looks so happy! _"You'll never catch me!"_ He stops running and looks at me. He laughs again. I blink my eyes for an extended time while nodding. The boy's spirit motions for me to follow. I have no reason not to. I think this is just my stomach's way of getting me to food. I'm so hungry! I say aloud my answer, 'Yes.' With this, the little boy's spirit starts running again. He takes off to the right. I jog behind him every way. The path is so wide and distorted from thick, dark fog. I can see a large building on the left and a smaller one to the right of me as I follow the boy's spirit to the end of the path.

There are a few more buildings around. They might be houses. One looks like it is white. Why would it be? The others appear to be made of wood. I do not think more on it. The boy's spirit is stopped in front of an old well. His arms are raised while he faces me. A huge smile decorates him. I laugh out loud to him. 'I found you!' I say to him. He stops smiling. I look at him with concern and worry. 'Wh—What?' I ask. The boy's spirit starts to shake his head violently. Something is scaring him. I turn around, but there is not anything here. I look back at him to see two long arms are reaching up from the old well. They grab him from behind and start to pull him in. I run, but it's too late. I lean over the edge of the well to barely grab his arm. Something isn't right. My hand closes… and it's empty. The boy takes the fall. I hear his curdling screams and a woman's insane laughter. I bring my hand closer to my face. He is not _my_ creation. The village… is it all like this? "I felt those arms earlier…" I fall to my knees by the old well. I can hear the sounds of a struggle. He is crying while being ripped apart, at least I think that is what is happening. I can hear the tear of his clothes… and his body. The woman's laughing does not stop. Why is she doing it? Am I dreaming? I then notice something beside the well. It looks like another soggy notebook made of purple velvet. This time only two pages remain.

**Woman's Recollection 2:** _"His body washed on shore. The Master of the Village gave me a dirty look. 'He was your husband, after all.' He says to me. I told him not to rub it in. Bad mistake… He has the entire village whispering about me… I can hear them judging me… 'Murderer…' They say… Their words are feeble sheep… Sheep? They eat grass… If there's no grass… **1/2** The river that runs red is being drained. It taints the village… they think… I look at it with a reminder of my glory…The statues around here… I am their only protector… That's why the whispers came to me! That is why he could not kill me… and I could kill him… and…**2/2**"_

A loud shriek comes from the old well. A woman's spirit flies up. She's wearing a white and red kimono. I understand the white, but the red must be… blood. Her scraggly black hair flares up as she darts for me. Her long nails measure about an inch or more. I get this close view because her hands go for my neck. I back away, my feet hardly getting me anywhere as the dirt comes loose. I try and use it to my advantage. I kick it in hopes it will get in her eyes, but she's a spirit. It obviously does not work. My body, unknowingly to me at the moment, twists around and my nails dig into the ground. I pull myself straight to my feet. I now waste no time in running for safety. I don't know this place. Where am I going?

The path heads straight until it forks to the left and to the right. I turn to the right because I am closer to that side. I can hear the woman's spirit whispering things behind me. I know she is getting nearer to me. The chill pokes at my spine. _"I never saw a darker face… The water dries… Don't run from me… child…"_ The path takes various turns. I go down sets of stairs. A bridge connecting houses resides over me for a moment. I take a left to see a set of double doors. I run right into them. They're locked! I scream in terror. My heart is thumping through my skin. I slide downwards in disbelief. My cries shake my entire body. I cannot stop crying. The woman's spirit sweeps down and puts her hands around my neck. I feel my life being strangled right out of me. I don't even try to pull her off. I continue sobbing. If I die, I won't have to hear the whispers anymore. I won't have to see the blood anymore. I won't have to dream anymore. I am just now accepting my fate when I can hear someone's footsteps. Someone else is here? Another spirit, perhaps? Suddenly, there is a very bright light. The strangling lightens. Did I die? Did I just see the 'bright light' that everyone talks about? The woman's spirit shrieks when another light flashes. My hands, they feel wet and warm, like they're bloody again… I… I am so cold… There is another flash, but this one is accompanied by a click. Did… Did someone just take my picture?

End

Chapter One

**Any and all reviews welcomed!**

**I will revise if needed!**

**Next time:** Pass Me By

**Thank you!**

Pronunciations

You will hear some odd names in the next few chapters

(Tanaka is pronounced Ton--ack--ah)

(Miaka is pronounced My--ack--ah)

(Mika is pronounced Me--kah)

(Dagan is pronounced Day--gan)

(Yumi is pronounced You--me)

(Nei is pronounced Knee)

Author's Note

I am currently past chapter seven at the moment. The story takes on its own plot and evolves in chapter three. Chapter two introduces some new characters. After Chapter three the meaning of this story really takes off. I am not using Crimson Butterfly's plot as my own, but rather to connect mine to the game. New and interesting characters emerge along with an enormous village (_not_ All God's, by the way) to unravel a sickening twist to cultural customs often associated with ancient Japan. A different type of sacrifice surfaces with new victims and sinful rituals. I am informing you about this so you do not get the wrong idea about this fiction. The plot greatly differs in most ways from FF II's. I did use some similarities to keep the fiction true to the game. I hope I did it justice. Please continue to read and review. I appreciate it. Thank you.


	2. Pass Me By

Disclaimer

**Please read: **I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the second Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Two

Pass Me By

"_My hand slips from the rope,_

_The passing way is only a memory,_

_And the memory passes away"_

My eyesight returns in time to catch a glimpse of someone's face approaching mine. Their lips move, but I can hear only murmurs and distant echoes of the woman's laughter. I put my hands to my face. Something is still wet on them. I grumble and try to push the stranger's face from me. I think it is still that spirit trying to kill me. This is different, though. I can feel someone's rough stubble on their cheeks. This is a man before me, a human! I can still barely see, but I lean up and hug him. He chuckles and says that I do not need to thank him. My sight starts to clear up. I'm almost afraid to find he is my imagination, too. I don't want to be alone anymore.

"Are you… Are you real?" I start to poke his nose.

He places my finger away from his face. "I am."

This man is not the speaker I heard earlier from the ledge. That was a young man, and this guy is much older. His hair is long and silver. He is wearing it in a samurai-style braid. His large clothing makes me actually think he _is_ a samurai. The cloak is off-white in color with a large red belt around his waist. The man's pants wore like the cloak did: loose, baggy. They are the same off-white color. He has brown sandals on. His toes look blistered and sore. I do not see a sword in his hand. I can see a camera. His blue eyes focus on my eyes. He has seemed alright at first, but now he is becoming uneasy. Is it something he sees in me?

"What is your name?" He asks of me.

I bury my face in my palms. They are still wet, but I chose not to look at them. I'm too scared to. What if they're bloody again? My memories pain me too much here. I find myself ignoring the man. He repeats the question to me numerous times. I cannot think of the answer. What is my name? Good question. I think I laugh in my head, but I soon find the giggles exiting my lips. I look up. I am about to explain why I am here. I will apologize for laughing and not answering him sooner. I am and I will, but I can't. The man is not before me anymore. There is a different guy. He wears a priest's purple robe and long hat. He carries a staff in his right arm. There is a jewel at the handle of it. It's so pretty. I admire its color. Oh, it's like my eyes! I reach out to touch it, but the priest turns around. He starts to walk away. His spirit moves through a stone wall. _"We have moved to a safer place, away from the gates and the red water… Your sister wants to see you… We will await it… await it like disease…"_

"WAIT!" I shout.

I get to my feet without realizing the priest is gone. I run to the stone wall and start to punch and kick it. 'I want to come! I want to know who I am!' I scream over and over again. I try to scratch the stones loose in hopes I will be able to break down the wall and follow him. The samurai-like man stands behind me. He slowly touches my shoulder. I lean against the wall in anger and frustration. Why am I loosing my mind? The man sighs. I think it is because he saw it, too. He doesn't tell me he did, but he does tell me something else. It is helpful, but it also makes me wonder about other things. He starts by clearing his throat. I slide down the wall. I land on the ground and do not immediately face him. He kneels next to me. I slightly turn my head to him. I brush the stone wall with my left hand.

"I'm crazy…" I whimper.

He smirks. "You're not. I just don't see how you knew about the passageway."

"You mean…?" I glance back at the wall.

"My name's Dagan Murrioko." He shakes my hand. "I'm an investigator for a newspaper. My team and I are surveying the village."

Dagan helps me to my feet. I brush myself off. He goes over to the left end of the wall and pulls extremely hard. The wall becomes a door! A sick rush of a mold and mildew smell escapes. It feels very damp and moist as I stand outside of it. I can only imagine what is must be like down inside. I can hear hammering and some conversation. Dagan ensures that it is his team working on the passageway. I ask him about the village and the rumors that I heard. He nods and agrees that he has heard them, too. He admits that it is reckless to be messing with such a dangerous and mysterious place as the village, but he cannot resist. Many people claim, as he goes on to tell me, that even though the valley is flooded, the area (forest included) remains as dry as ever. Dagan gathered his comrades together to check it out for themselves. After investigating the village in its entirety they found an underground tunnel.

I cross my arms and rub them. It is freezing. "No one was hurt?"

Dagan tenses. "A few… they were careless…" He harshly mumbles.

"They built a new village…" I find myself aimlessly walking down into the tunnel. "… So they can wait for it…"

He follows after me. "Are you sure? I mean the tunnel collapsed, but we're breaking through. Is the real village waiting for us on the other side? How do you know?"

I know he is just doing his job, but I am offended at his questions. I feel possessed. I do not understand what is happening to me. As I go down the stairs slowly I can remember being here before. I feel like there is someone inside of me who knows this place so well, someone who has come here to wait for _it_, too. Who is she? Is she actually me? I no longer wear my ripped denims or my filthy tank top. I wear a gorgeous dress, one for queens! The seams are golden and the material is purple silk. My hair is done up in a fancy weave of jewelry and flowers. My shoes are golden sandals. I have my hands cuffed in each other. My ears are decorated with gold rings. My face is plastered in white make-up. My lips are ruby red. My eyes are coated in dark blue rimmed with black. I look ready for a festival. I am beautiful! Things change as I reach the bottom of the steps. Blood starts to seep down the tunnel walls. Villagers are crawling on the ground below my feet. The path is not wide. I step over them and sometimes on them. They miss limbs and the blood flows like a river! Why am I walking past them? I should do something! As I enter a new darkness I look at my hands. The Villagers' blood cakes them. I killed them. I killed every last one of them.

"NO!" I snap back to my denim jeans and filthy tank top. I am standing in the dark, but torches are lit around me. The tunnel is wider. Dagan's workers have changed it. I am on my knees and I look at my hands. They feel like they are covered in their blood, but they aren't. Why do I keep imagining things like this? Did I really kill them? Dagan seems only slightly concerned. The hammering stops. 'Everything is alright.' I can hear Dagan's voice. The hammering and chiseling of the workers return. Dagan pulls me to my feet. He whispers for me to move on. I take a few more steps. I start to regain my composure. My nerves burn at the thought of these 'memories.' Who am I?

**(Bunk)**

There is a small dugout where they rest. Four brown boxes are set against the wall to act as seating. A longer one is in the middle with a white cloth over it. A bowl of soup is placed before me by Dagan. He now hands me a small spoon and a short glass of water. A flickering lamp is next to my meal. I can see maps and blueprints for the construction of the tunnel on the ground. They are unraveled and have black marker circling areas and labeling team members at their locations. A pile of dirty clothes and bloody bandages are stocked in the left corner. Various tools are also near the corner. I see hammers, nails, picks, and more. I believe there are a few sacks of dirt and rock that must have gotten in the way. I notice these loaded black garbage bags just near the entrance. The 'door' is a hole in the tunnel with a white sheet covering it.

"Did you take my picture earlier?" I ask Dagan after he seats himself across from me.

He shrugs. "Only sort of… you see, this is not just any ordinary camera." He places it in front of me next to my bowl of soup.

I take two spoonfuls while eyeing it over. "What's so special about it?"

"It has exorcism abilities. You never heard of the Camera Obscura?"

"Yes, I have once. I had no idea you carried it." I sip some water.

Dagan is rather excited about telling me. "Dr. Aso is such a brilliant man, dead or alive. He created the Camera Obscura to capture what the naked eye cannot see! It has the capability of repenting ghosts with a few well-placed snapshots! This was not all he made, however. Dr. Aso found a way of getting into the minds of the spirits. He found that ghosts left behind their memories in forms of beautiful and rare stones. He created the Spirit Stone Radio so he could hear these memories for himself!"

I am very amazed at what he tells me. "You own this, too?"

"Yes, I have a Spirit Stone Radio. A new scientist has been able to duplicate Dr. Aso's work. My entire team has a Camera Obscura for safety and every digging site has a Radio. It costs a lot of money, but luckily Dr. Nei is on my side." He winks at me.

"Have you heard anything… about killings?"

Dagan glares up at me. "Actually… we have located three stones. One of them mentions some. The other two we believe are from travelers who stumbled across the passageway in hopes of finding the village. They named it the New Lost Village. You… You never gave me your name…"

My insides perk. I feel uplifted and greatly hopeful. I may get my answers soon! "Can I hear them, please!"

He raises an eyebrow at me, but he does not object. "Yumi has them."

**(Location 2, 'Firewall')**

From the bunk we travel to the left and down a busy tunnel where diggers are feverishly trying to recover hidden places and items. Dagan leads me straight until we come to a three-way parting. He takes me to the left and past what sounds like running water underneath my feet in a certain spot. The second I step on the area of the water my heart pounds as heavy as the hammers do and I can see my lower half as the kimono-dressed queen that I was when I first arrived. It leaves after I am no longer over it. Dagan does not seem to pay attention. Maybe he didn't see? We keep heading straight. When another three-way parting comes he turns right. A few more bunks and Location 1 are dug out on the left side of the tunnel's walls. Location 1 (or 'Waterway') is covered up by a black cloak. Is he hiding something in there? We reach Location 2 (or 'Firewall') just after passing Waterway.

I am expecting to see something impressive in Firewall, but there are only two small boxes as seats and one long box with a white cloak as a coffee table. A Spirit Stone Radio (resembling a blocky, modern radio with dials and a place to insert a stone) is resting on the 'coffee table.' A young girl, about fifteen or sixteen, stands near it. She has a black pouch (carrying the stones?) on her tan tool belt. She also has hammers, rulers, wrenches, and such in a larger pouch. Her shorts are denim and look like they were once jeans, but torn to their present state. The young girl's shoes are large and durable working boots. Her shirt is a navy vest. A Camera Obscura hangs around her neck. She has brown eyes and short, blonde hair. I notice her ears are pierced the whole way around them. She salutes upon seeing Dagan.

"Yumi, at ease…!" He jokes with her.

She sighs of relief. "You scared me!" Her voice is slightly squeaky, soft, and childlike.

I lower my head. "May I hear the stones?"

Yumi nods. "Sure, you seem to have Dagan's permission!" She smiles and removes the black pouch from her belt. "All three are here."

I take it from her. "Thank you."

**(Spirit Stone Radio)**

_**Pink Crystal:** Man's Voice (Static, warped, sounds worried): "I see the darkness… alone with the children…Thousands of priests gather…… The rain is red like she's back… Don't look near… the…lighthouse… Blood in the well of… the old… village…It's here, too… … needing… refuge… at last…I will… die…"_

_**Blue Gem:** Boy Child's Voice (Less static, warped, laughter, crying): "I found her… hiding in…the basement … of my house… Cuts and scabs…on her… I offered her a band aid… She hit me on the face… It burns… It burns… like… a… candle… She ran away and she stays now… … … … in… … the… … lighthouse…It's where we like to keep her… Alone… where she can wallow in pity and sorrow… Drowning… in the redness…"_

_**Blood Red Rock:** Woman's Voice (Hardly any static, less warped, upset): "Blood! Their blood…! It's like washing windows… Cleaning the village…! Killing the others… and… …… … … Their deaths… make me… yours… I'm yours… I'M YOURS! I am… yours… as you walk away… I am yours and you leave me here… Don't go, Miaka… Don't go… I found…your… doll in… in our place… Come back… Come back! Come back and see me, sister… Come back… Come back and… (warped to a demonic voice) kill me, sister… (Loud scream)"_

"This… is intense…" I whisper out loud.

"DAGAN! WE BROKE THROUGH!" A worker shouts.

**(End of Passage)**

We ran out of Firewall. Dagan and Yumi lead me to the left and keep running. I see three workers ahead of us. They look filthy from all their work. They are dressed in rags. The tunnel gets narrower and narrower as we proceed straight ahead. It is also getting darker and the cold air returns. The draft is almost unbearable. I step on a few holes that are covered with wooden planks. The sound I make when I do alarms me. Someone is being choked? We continue in the same direction until the path takes a sharp right and then another. After the second right it jerks to the left. We run straight once more. I can see what looks like the bottom of a well. Dim light shines down. Workers have used ropes to gain access above. The ones that are on the surface help the others to climb up. There is a long line of Dagan's team awaiting their chance for fresh air. They are quickly being pulled up, though. Dagan and Yumi are before me still. Yumi smiles at me and whispers, 'Can you believe it!' Dagan turns to me and whispers something as well, 'It's our turn. We'll help you up.'

After the workers have made it to the top they drop down three more ropes for Dagan, Yumi, and me. They climb up without hesitation. The creak of the ropes makes me cringe. I stand at the bottom of the well and watch them reach the surface. The night sky is lit up with glorious stars and a crescent gold moon. The air feels warmer. Most people will take that as a blessing, but it worries me. If it is different up there, then I will not find my answers. Dagan starts to hold the rope that I am to use. Yumi signals for me to hurry up. She says it is safe. Why not? I slowly touch the rope. I grasp it. Something isn't right. The rope… it feels like flesh… I let go. 'What's wrong?' Dagan asks. I shake my head in confusion. I don't know! _"Don't go, Miaka…"_ A woman's spirit is behind me. I turn to look at her. Ah, her face—it's warped! I can see her silver kimono is splattered in bright blood and a few tissues of flesh. I turn back to the rope, but it is now a thorny vine. What the hell! _"Don't leave me… Don't leave me behind, Miaka…I am yours… I am yours now…"_ I feel her strangle me. Dagan and Yumi scream for me. They start taking pictures, but there is little affect. The spirit keeps on hurting me. I cannot breathe! Suddenly… (_Crash)_ The bottom of the well caves in.

I fall forever it seems. There is only me here. The world around me is dark. I try to relax and look comfortable. I am accepting my fate again. Maybe that is why I feel right here. Or maybe it is because I am getting these strange memories again that are playing like black and white films in my head. I see… … Roses growing in a graveyard, the trees are still bare, a dead bird is resting in a large meadow and the wind blows its feathers about… a young girl (face not shown, dressed in a silver kimono, black hair) picks it up and cuffs it in her palms… She whispers an indistinct message and opens her hands… the bird shakes itself and flies off… A woman cries… _"Free her from her cage… she may be able to breathe again… Miaka, it is only you who can put a smile on Mika's face…" _I feel myself drifting off. I feel myself letting go. I feel myself… becoming free.

End

Chapter Two

**Any and all reviews welcomed!**

**I will revise if needed!**

**Next time:** The Glass Projector

**Thank you!**

Author's Note

The identity of the three voices on the stones are somewhat revealed within the next few chapters. You will encounter the spirits of these voices. Can you guess which one belongs to which stone?


	3. The Glass Projector

Disclaimer

**Please read: **I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the second Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Three

The Glass Projector

"_As she shatters glass,_

_I cannot help but feel sorry,_

_And feeling sorry cannot help"_

Underneath me is a silk material. I run my fingers over it gently. My eyes are opened about half way. I can see nothing above. There is not even a hint of light where the surface should be. I miss the stars. I miss the golden crescent moon. I miss humanity. The warmer air is only a slight draft. It feels sort of chilly around me most of the time. I hear the tumbling of rocks. They must have been left over from when I fell. They sound like harmful pebbles. I few hit my forehead and left knee. I do not immediately move. I am sore and exhausted. I guess I should say what I've kept inside for so long. I guess I should, but I don't know if I want to. _"Miaka, Miaka… Miaka, where are you?"_ I can hear the whispers of a younger girl. Am I Miaka? Last I checked I'm still…

"YOU LIAR!" Some woman screams.

I quickly lean up. I look around, but everything is black. I cannot see anything. The silk that I am on must be a blanket or a large coat, or something. I am not too sure. I feel around it, hoping it will help in anyway. It seems normal until my hand moves into a puddle on the ground. The material is lying over it. I sniff the liquid. It's blood, fresh blood. I flip out, violently wiping it off on myself and the silk object. My nose wrinkles at the thought of having a stranger's fluid on me. I can hear the echo of the woman's screaming over and over again. I forget about the blood and I begin to move forward. My hands are out in front of me incase there is a wall or anything. I'm so lost!

My feet scuff on the floor. I assume I am walking on stone. The warm draft leaves. There is nothing to feel but the chill. I shiver up and down my spine as I continue through this apparent nonexistence. I wonder if I am even alive. This whole dark space just feels like an empty void within my own body. If I am actually not deceased, then I must be having one dull dream. Shouldn't there be shirtless guys, millions of dollars, or even dancing pandas? Hell, I'd settle for a dream about watching paint dry; just enough of this black emptiness already!

My right foot kicks an object on the ground. It rolls for a few seconds. I get down on all fours and search for it. My hands bump into it and it rolls once more, but I quickly grab it. My face beams with excitement. It's a flashlight! How convenient! I push the small button at the end of it. It shines very brightly and it casts widely. However, not much to my surprise the place is still dark and empty. The floor and the walls are basically rock. The ceiling isn't visible, even with the flashlight. I walk more to see if there is anything ahead. I soon come to an opening in the wall.

Before I step through a shadow moves in front of me. I jerk back and shine the light around. There is a set of stairs leading up, but nothing else. I look on the stairs after I hear some footsteps. Dust is being kicked up on the obviously old and deserted steps. I can't see anybody. My pulse races as I move in closer. When I am standing at the bottom of the staircase a ghostly woman appears ascending it. She's a thin, almost skeletal figure with long, black hair and a red bathrobe on. She is barefoot and seems awful sad and upset. It freaks me out as I can hear her groaning and moping. I can only watch motionlessly. I don't know what to do! Before she reaches the top she looks back at me. Suddenly her sorrow twists into anger. The pasty woman glares her brown eyes in a sheer way of telling me to run. I can take a hint. I side-step my way from the stairs and back to the opening in the stone wall. She mutters a few words and starts to follow me. Her hands slide down the railing and she looks over it at me while she starts to glide down. I panic and run back into the empty room.

Her loud mutters are right over my shoulder. I pick up my speed as fast as it'll go. My fate, once again, is clear to me. I, however and once more again, cheat it by convenience. Near the bloody, silky material I had been lying on (which in the light shows to be a silver kimono) is a Camera Obscura. I continue running and lean down to pick it up. I drop my flashlight in the process, but that doesn't matter at the moment. I jump and in mid-air I turn and snap a few photos. The ghostly woman is repelled and screams in pain. I take two more pictures before she disperses into glittery specs. The flashlight on the ground faces in the direction where she vanishes. She has dropped something, I notice. I drape the Camera Obscura over my neck via neck strap and I kneel down to see what she left behind. It's a **Blue Crystal**. That is not all, though. An orb is resting next to it. I pick it all up. I pocket the new items and I hold the flashlight close to me. I owe the Camera Obscura my life!

You see, before this entire thing happened my life was nothing more but a black hole itself. Sure, I am facing an oblivious and unknown Hell in this place—then again; my world was always such a dark entry in the dairy of life. I was destined to become a depressed liability roaming around with no real goal to accomplish. I have learned to accept it. My role in this world is my only concern right now. When I hear the voices it is more than a scare; it is the call of reality. It's been waiting for me. _She's_ been waiting for me.

On the way up the stairs I stumble across a yellow-covered book. Pink floral designs are all over it, too. It is quite pretty. I pick it up and notice that the pages are worn like they have been soaked in water for years. However, about four pages seem untouched, well untouched from the water at least. There are two bloody fingerprints in the corner of each page. Someone has read this while bleeding.

**Yellow Rose Book 1:** _"Master Tanaka informed me that some researchers have been nosing around. I don't get it. What is he so afraid of that they'll find? I meant one of them. His name's Hatari. He's a really nice guy. He almost hyperventilated when he saw our Shrine. He seemed sort of afraid, too. What's everybody's problem lately?" **1/4** "The Priest came to see Master Tanaka and me today. The Master wouldn't let me stay in the room while they talked, though. The Priest gave me apologetic eyes. It's alright. I listened through the keyhole the best I could. What I heard… is unsettling to say the least… The gate we used to seal the edge of our village off from the forest has collapsed. The researchers claim they had nothing to do with it, that they entered using the main way. I believe them, but Master Tanaka is convinced they are lying. I bet it has something to do with that woman…" **2/4 **"Nina woke up screaming last night. She came running to me saying, 'Nanny! Nanny! Nanny, there's a monster under my bed!' I laughed and told her she was hearing things. It wasn't until she dragged me in her room that I heard the whistling wind. The window was closed. 'No, under my bed! Check under my bed!' She yells. I sigh with a smile and knelt down…I… can't even describe what I saw… Maybe I was seeing things… but the woman was staring right at me… The second I ran up and carried Nina off to Master Tanaka, the woman shrieked and threw the bed across the room… but when the Master and his guards ran into Nina's room they found nothing. The bed was in place and the whistling wind was coming from the window… My Lord, please… I can't bear this anymore…" **3/4** "Nina… … she's not like herself anymore… She's angrier and more violent… only not in front of other people… I think she's going to… I think she's going to kill me! Who ever reads this… tell the Master! Nina has been taken over by A--" **4/4**_

I continue up the stairs with my deepest of thoughts in mind. That poor nanny… I wonder who Master Tanaka is… Wait… I heard his name before. Just where am I? It isn't long into my long travel up the stairs that I start hearing voices. I look up and can see a very extensive way ahead of me. The spiral staircase leads on for miles it seems. I am not the only one heading up, though. A spirit of a little girl with short black hair (red ribbon tied in it) wearing a pink dress with white lace and bare feet is running up the stairs. _"Daddy! Daddy, wait for me! Please, wait for me, daddy! Please! Don't let it get me, daddy! Don't let it get me!"_ I aim the Camera up at her. She doesn't seem harmful. Should I snap a picture? I click it. My heart thumps at the fear that I upset the spirit, but nothing bad happens. She slowly vanishes. I've acquired the **'Ascent'** photo (_a picture of Nina Tanaka running up the lighthouse, calling for her father to wait. She's afraid of something that chasing her._)

I am so tired of climbing up these stairs. I sit down to rest after a while. I glance down to see my progress when I can see something strange coming. At first it just looks like a red cloud, but in the center of the red cloud is a woman dressed in a dark red kimono. Her long black hair drags behind her on the ground. I can't see her eyes until she stops moving for a second. I gasp and cover my mouth hoping she has no idea that I am here. She slowly moves her head upward. Her hair slides away from her eyes for a moment. They are completely black! The woman laughs and my body burns like I have heard it before. I know her? Who is she? I don't have time for questions, damn it! She's heading my way!

As I struggle to hurry in climbing these stairs I aim the Camera at her and snap a few shots. She only laughs more and seems to speed up. The picture gets weird markings in it. It's not doing anything! I scream for her to leave me alone. I can see a door. Am I about to make it out alive? I sure hope so. I estimate the number of stairs left to go. There might be twenty. I count down. It keeps me from accepting my death at the hands of this red cloudy woman. _"I've waited… I've waited…for you… just you… I'm yours!"_ 19, 18, 17, 16… Oh, shit she's gaining on me! 15, 14, 13… I can feel her breath on my shoulder. 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7… C'mon… so close… so close! Keep away! 6, 5, 4, 3… I can see the brass handle! I reach my hand out. 2… I touch the door knob and I start to turn it… and 1…!

I open the door and feel that I am safe because the red cloud woman is no longer behind me. She has disappeared since the door is open. I smile with relief, but it does not last. A black and white vision pierces my eyes suddenly. I can see flashes between a thriving village and one where the villagers are keeled over dead and bleeding. The houses are torched and burning down. It changes to the pale face of a woman with black eyes. It focuses on her left eye as blood trickles down in a slow pace. While the blood moves down with the pull of gravity, quick flashes appear as a different woman (the one I saw at the bottom of the well when Yumi and Dagan were trying to save me) straddles over someone with a knife in her hand. She keeps stabbing them and stabbing them. I can't see who the person is until the slaughtering woman stands up and casually walks away with blood all over her kimono. The person... it's… it's me! The blood from the eye falls down from a balcony and heads to the village below… Why… Why did she kill me?

"_It only hurts… because you never see my face…"_

It leaves and I am left on the balcony of a lighthouse. A narrow boardwalk made of wood circles around. I can barely see the houses that surround it below. The village is massive! The dark fog makes it so hard for me to see strong details, but it appears that the houses are made of stone and wood. There are lit torches that line the pathways through the village, and I can see a gigantic bridge past here that leads across a huge river and to what appears like a tower, or a shrine. I move the whole way around the lighthouse to look at everything and I wonder about this place. Is there a way out? Will I die? What has happened here that the people are all gone? Are the ghosts I am seeing real? Am I dreaming? So many questions, but one thing is clear: Dagan, Yumi, and the rest of the team have to be here somewhere. This is where they were headed, right? This might not be so bad. I just have to call out! However, when I do… I only get my echo. Somebody… anybody… please… find me!

There is a ladder that leads down into the village below. It's only a few feet from the door I entered from. I take a few big breaths before descending the ladder. I reach the bottom and see that I am within the boundaries of a wooden fence. It leads out into the pathway of the village. There is a large, black gate to the right. It must be an exit! I try it and am not surprised when it refuses to open. I then hear someone behind me. I turn around and spot a man's spirit. He has short brown hair and wears a white shirt with tan pants and black shoes. I aim the Camera at him and snap a photo. He vanishes at the door to a small house (the first one on the left). He mutters something after he's gone. _"I must find my daughter…"_ I've acquired the **'Searcher'** photo (_Gerald Hemmingway searches the village for his lost daughter. He is desperate and wants to know that she is safe._)

I cautiously make my way to where he was. The house is like the others: made of wood and stone. There are cloth curtains in the window that sway gently in the soft breeze. I open the door and peek in. It's noisy as it opens all of the way. I can't really see anything, though. There is a raised level to the left of me. It's easily accessible if one goes up two small steps. On the wooden floor is a white rug near a sunken fireplace. There is a set of stairs that lead up and down. Across from the stairs is a wood panel wall. It slides open. Ahead of me is a hallway with a door at the end of it. When I take my first step into the house and close the door behind me I see the man's spirit again. He appears near the wood panel door. He pauses and looks over at me. _"I need to find her before it's too late…"_ I fear that he might attack, so I use my Camera. He turns his head back at the wood panel door and vanishes. I've acquired the **'Turns Head'** photo (_Gerald Hemmingway glances over thinking it was his daughter that entered the house after him. He continues his search._)

The wooden panel won't open. It's being held shut by something. I shake my head and look back at the hallway. I think I can hear someone calling for help! Is there someone else here besides me? I might not be alone after all! I run to the hallway and try to open the door. It's locked with what looks like an emblem of a two-headed lion near the keyhole. I call out loud for anyone to see if they can hear me. They must because it sounds like someone is yelling on the other side of the door. I can see the shadow of feet underneath. I kneel down and try to look. The person is wearing sandals. I call again, but they don't say much other than things like _'help'_ and stuff. Is it another ghost? I won't give up hope regardless. I go back to the stairs. I look down, but there is no way I am getting there. It looks like there was a cave-in. I think I can see a book or something, though. I reach out and swipe it up, but it drops down into lower levels. I can't even see it anymore.

I glimpse up stairs to see an upper floor. There are two doors next to the hallway. I ascend the stairs and reach the first door. I head on in. I find myself standing in a pitch black room. I turn the flashlight on and move it around. I believe I am in a cramped storage room. I can see a pile of boxes before me. A few cloth items are sticking out from under loose lids. A Japanese doll made of straw is hanging from the ceiling. A rope is tied around its neck. Her clothes look like mine. Is this village into voodoo or something? I try and make sense of the miniature, straw version of myself. I get a strange sense about it, too. Something isn't right. I start to hear childish giggling around it. In the beam of my flashlight it looks like a figure runs by me. I turn every which way. The shadow almost appears to be running in circles. Soon enough the straw doll falls from the ceiling. I look back at it and I get a face full of ghost! I lift the Camera up, but the dark spirit smacks it out of my hands. It breaks the straps around my neck. I freeze up with my eyes watering in fright. Through the dark mist surrounding the spirit I can see the white face of a young girl. She has short, red hair and blue eyes. She looks so young! She isn't friendly, though. The girl's spirit reaches her hands out and starts to choke me, much like my first ghostly encounter did. I struggle to keep her off of me. I am able to yank her hands from me. I pick up my Camera and run to the other side of the room. She falls to her knees and starts to cry angrily. _"Why? Why? Betrayed me… You betrayed me…"_ I snap a few shots of her. She disperses into a black cloud with an extremely loud scream.

After I catch my breath I look back at the straw doll now on the ground. The rope is loose from its neck. I kneel down and take it from it. I substitute the rope for the broken strap. I then replace the Camera where it should be. I pocket the flashlight at an angle so it can still stick relatively straight out from my pant leg. I can see something shining on the floor where the spirit has been. I pick it up to see it's a **Rough Cut Ruby**. I leave the cramped storage room.

I move over to the second door. The instant I place my hand on the handle I get the flash of something black and white. It must have been a little boy or something, but it doesn't last more than a second because I back away from the door. I lightly touch it again and I get the same reaction. The third time I try it I do not move back. I get the full fledge image. I don't know what it means, but it is certainly interesting. The black and white images don't flash as much as my first look at them, and they seem a little different than the ones I saw before. A little boy wearing a white shirt and black shorts with brown hair and brown eyes is on his knees next to a small toy box. He's in a room that appears to be mostly white. He pulls out a small toy train and laughs. Someone creeps up behind him. As they step closer the image begins to change. In an instant it looks like the white walls are painted with blood splatter and the little boy is hung from the ceiling with a rope tied around his neck. His arms and legs are severed from his body and twitch on the ground. The toy train is shown to be moving on a circular track at one point in time. It disappears quickly and goes back between the original image and the one with more gore. The switching continues with the eerie grumble of a female and their heavy footsteps. It goes on until the figure has reached the little boy. He turns to them and smiles. He holds up his toy train with laughter. It then skips to an image of the red haired, young girl ripping his arms and legs off. The last image is off the blood I saw earlier rolling slowly down a girl's pale face. When it falls from her cheek and chin the picture cuts to a body rolled up in a blanket falling down a black hole. A girl whispers, _"It's me…It's my face…"_

My heart pounds as the instant I come to the little boy's spirit appears next to me near the staircase. I snap his photo just before he runs away. _"Don't go near her room!"_ He disappears after he has stepped down two stairs. I've acquired the **'Boy's Warning'** photo (_Tomoya Okura warns about his sister's room, where he once meant his fate for letting the Master of the Village search it._) I look back at the door ahead of me. It doesn't seem like a bedroom. I open it. It's a large room with a barred window across from the door. I can see trees in the center of a dead garden outside. To the left is a wallpapered wall with faded pink flowers on it. There is also a small dresser in the corner. A shattered blue vase and wilted roses are on it (some on the floor). To my right is a partition screen. I can see someone's shadowy figure through it. I tense in fear that it is the red haired ghost as before. There is nothing else in the room that I can see of. I swallow my pride and step closer. I can hear her talking to herself.

"We were supposed to leave before they found us. I let you down. I let him know. It's my fault. I'll make it up to you. I promise, I will!" She sobs quietly.

I clear my throat abruptly. "H-hello?"

I can see her head perk up. She acts like she's getting up, but I never see her outside of the partition screen. Her shadow isn't there anymore. I walk behind the screen to see a red pillow with knee-imprints on it. There is another one of those yellow books with roses on the cover. I pick it up and read through it. On the corner of the first page is something written in fresh, black ink. It says, 'I found this near the lighthouse!'

**Yellow Rose Book 2:** _"The Master told me not to worry about Nina. I honestly wish he would not let her play around the lighthouse like she does. It's dangerous there! I know myths and legends are usually just fairy tale folklores, but after what happened in her room a few nights ago I am not so sure. The place is cursed! I know it!" **1/3** "Nina has been complaining of a severe sore throat. I found burns on her like someone has been choking her! I took it up with Master Tanaka, but for some reason he claimed he couldn't see any marks. He thinks I am making this stuff up and putting it in Nina's head! One day he will see it for himself." **2/3** "I don't…"** 3/3**_

I can see the shadow looming over me. I carefully place the book down and then I lift the Camera up. I slyly raise it, ready to twist and shoot. Things don't go too well. I jump forward and twist around, but there is no film left. I start clicking away fearful for my life when I hear a man's laughter. I scream for mercy. I am soon embarrassed. He isn't a ghost at all. He's Dagan! I get to my feet and hug him with all of my might. He expresses relief in the fact that I am still alive. I now proceed to tell him everything I saw and found. I show him the photos that I got, too. He hands me some film for the Camera Obscura. He also picks up the book I just read. A **Lion Stack Key** falls from the back pages. He hands it to me.

"Dagan, what's going on? Whose house is this?" I ask him.

He reaches behind the partition screen where he had set his knapsack down. He pulls out a small radio. He hands it to me and tells me that his team only owned a few miniature size-Spirit Stone Radios. It's handier and I can carry it with me. Dagan also gives me a leather book with a string tying it closed. It is so old that the binding on it is weak. "This is the Okura house. It belonged to a Four-Priest family; that is, a very revered family that has had four generations of priests. It's a high honor. The last known Okura bloodlines were a widow and her two children: a son and a daughter. The husband died during a religious ceremony. No one ever really knew why. His wife was so grief stricken that she passed away from her intense sorrow. The Master of the Village came one day to try and find the children, but the daughter was missing. He found the son…"

"Dead… the son was dead…" I finish it for him.

"Yes, the son, Tomoya Okura, was killed in a gruesome way. His murder was never solved, but the Village suffered the same fate shortly afterwards."

I remember back on the notes that talk about the researchers that had upset Tanaka so badly. I decide to ask Dagan about it. "Dagan, who were the researchers? Did you know them?"

"I'm not sure, but that's a good question. I can't find any real proof that there ever were any. There are some documents lying around that account for their presence, but that's it. This place is just deserted. My team and I intend on finding out what happened to everyone, though." Dagan is visibly shaken.

I am about to speak again when I hear something from the garden. Dagan and I run to the window and can see across the yard and into another room. It appears to be the red-haired young girl. She's throwing things around and violently thrashing herself into the walls and objects. There's a projector that's playing a film of some sort. I can barely make out what it is showing. It looks like childhood memories of a father, a mother, the little boy and the girl. What might be blood on the film pours over the images. She knocks over the projector smashing it… like it was made of glass… The girl stops and weeps over what she's done. She's bleeding badly and leaves the smearing marks on the wall where the film was playing on. _"I want them back… I want them back! I'm sorry… I'm so sorry!"_ Dagan takes a photo of it. The girl's spirit vanishes, but the mess is still there. He hands me the **'Regrets'** photo (_Jun Okura weeps over what she has done to her family and herself._)

I look away and down at the book Dagan gave me and the radio. We all have our sad stories…

End

Chapter Three

**Any and all reviews welcomed!**

**I will revise if needed!**

**Next time:** His

**Thank you!**

Author's Note

Why thank you for saying it is suspenseful as well as frightening. That is exactly what I was going for. lol. Well, to be honest I can't say that I really try anything different other than picture what I want to happen, and then describing it just like it is in my head. I DO try very hard to get the emotion from the character to the reader, though. I feel that is one of the most extremely important things to accomplish. It can be tricky, and I have trouble doing it, but with enough practice it will come as easily as breathing to you! As for something being very scary; that's even more difficult than showing a character's emotions because the reader is reading it. They can't sense it, or hear it, or anything. So, you have to describe the sounds, sights, (etc.) the best you can and just hope that they get the image in their minds. This is what I try to go for. I hope I answered your question!


	4. His

Disclaimer

**Please read: **I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the second Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Four

His

"_I can feel the sorrow from him,_

_It is just like mine,_

_But it isn't mine… it is his"_

I am seated next to Dagan on the ground. I open the leather book. The pages are much like the ones I've seen before. They all seem worn and aged. I cannot help but wonder just how long they have been waiting around for someone to find them and read their sorry words. The people who have written them must have been worried that no one would see it. I can see in the language of their sentences that, although most are diaries, they want someone out here to read it, to know what they are going through. Perhaps they knew what was to come of them? As I ponder deeply Dagan glares at me. He just doesn't understand… doesn't understand.

**Woman's Recollection 3:** _"My entire run-in with this village has only gotten worse. I can feel their hatred as they stare at me. I swear I didn't kill him! I was only protecting myself! It was his fault… all of this is his fault!" **1/6 **"The Master of the Village has been preoccupied with the other outsiders lately. I'm glad they are here. Finally, people of my species! I mean, I'm no peasant, and I surely don't like their ancient customs. I think I can leave now. I've befriended one the outsiders. It seems there is more to this place than I knew." **2/6** "Someone's entered my dreams… They're not me! No… it's not me! It's not! IT'S NOT!" **3/6** "I… I keep seeing the red… the red, the red, the red… The redness everywhere… creeping, seeping… relentless voices that never shut up… SHUT UP, SHUT UP! SHUT… UP!" **4/6** "Why do they watch me like always? Like always, they watch me… taunts… twists and turns in a tunnel… God, why? I miss him… I miss him… I think I'll go find him now. He needs me." **5/6** "I… … … … … … … … … …found him… …He isn't dead! He waited for me! I'm so happy… we can be together again! Wait… just another… just another bad day… just another dreamless night… awake… He's gone… SHUT UP!" **6/6**_

Dagan shrugs. He goes on to inform me that a lot of his surveyors and investigators have uncovered such text that depict a crazy woman rambling on about the village and something that has happened to a man. A few claim they have seen her spirit wandering around. They say she's angry and only wants to kill. I guess Dagan is trying to warn me, but he will not come right out and say that there are ghosts. I think he's in denial. I can't say I blame him. No one wants to be insane! I feel the same way, but… I also know what I have been hearing and seeing… what I feel… when I think about her face… and what she calls me… It's not me… It's not…

_**Blue Crystal:** Woman's Voice (deep, almost like a growl, static, a background of crying): "It hurts me to know that one day… you will leave me…That our worlds will no longer coincide with each other…I will grow old and grey by myself… You might not see me anymore. You won't recognize me. It's my face… It's mine. It really is… I can't let that happen…"_

_**Rough Cut Ruby:** Young Boy's Voice (confused, insecure, warped screams in background): "I'm sorry! You don't need to get angry anymore! I won't break promises ever again! I swear! Please, sister! Don't… Don't… Don't do it… please… DON'T!"_

I shake my head in disbelief. This is all so surreal. Dagan can tell that I am upset about everything. He hands me another photo from his Camera. It shows a tall man with short, black hair and dark colored eyes standing next to a large stone in the middle of a forest. A rope is wrapped around it numerous times. The man is dressed like he's on a safari, only without a hat. The picture is dark and looks fairly old. Dagan tells me that it's his father, Murdock Murrioko. He says his father disappeared after trying to find the Lost Village. Dagan wants to put his mother's pain to rest by searching for clues. He laughs at the thought of how people discouraged him from going. 'It's gone! It probably didn't even exist!' He now smiles thinking, not only did he see the Lost Village, but now this other one. I am happy for him. I am also afraid, though. This place isn't right. The photo of his father isn't either… I am about to hand it back to him when I spot a transparent form near the stone. After tipping the picture just right I can see more. It looks like sets of arms are reaching up from the ground like they are growing from a garden! As I move the picture the 'glare' makes it look like they are swaying back and forth. The figure I see is a woman with a severely warped face. She wears a silver kimono with blood splatter on it. She has jet black hair. She stands next to Murdock with her hands towards his neck like she is going to choke him. I… decide not to tell Dagan when he asks me what is wrong.

I suddenly hear the floor boards outside of the door creak. I get to my feet and swing my body to the door with my Camera raised. Dagan tells me not to worry so much. He says there are friendly spirits and harmful ones. He's admitting their existence? Maybe… he notices the odd things in his father's photo. I simply stare at him in admiration. It takes heart to do what he is doing. Here I am chasing a silly childhood memory all because my life is rotten and there he is… searching in a dangerous and mysterious place for the only father he's got all because his mother is suffering. Why am I so pathetic? Dagan gives me one of those, 'you're-thinking-too-much' looks. Is it obvious when I'm in a deep thought? Anyway, he explains to me a certain function that is on the Camera Obscura. He says when the detect function is blue, that the spirit around me is either hidden or just a memory. Ah, yes, memories. If only all of them were harmless… He goes on to tell me that when it is orange to be careful. This means the spirit around is dangerous. I nod in understanding. I look at the door through the lens. It indicates that it is friendly. I snap a picture. Dagan takes the photo from me and shows me what it reveals. **'Listening Through'** (_a photo of Gerald Hemmingway emerges from the door; He thinks he hears his daughter's voice coming from the room._)

"Who is he?" I ask.

Dagan lets me keep the photo. "He is a grief-stricken father searching desperately for his daughter. This is the first time I've experienced his spirit, but Yumi says she always sees him. A lot of the girls on the team say he often calls out to them and follows them around. I feel really bad for the guy. He must have gotten trapped when trying to find his daughter."

"Has anyone seen her?"

"It's hard to say… He doesn't seem like a villager, so my guess is they are both outsiders. They might have accidentally wandered into the village. How exactly, I'm not sure. As far as my team and I know… there isn't a way out or a way in…"

I think back on how I managed to get here. "What about the Lost Village?"

"Haven't you asked yourself why I was so hell—bent on knowing who you were?" Dagan raises an eyebrow.

"Not really…"

He glances at the pocket where he placed his father's photo. "No one in my team saw the Lost Village unless I was right with them. The valley was flooded, and most people see it as just that… and nothing else… but people like us…" He holds my hands. "We have something more. We can see this place because we still have a part of us here. I'm looking for my father… That man is searching for his daughter… He became trapped… I won't let that happen to us! No matter who you are or why you're here… I intend on getting the answers and everyone out alive!" He lets go of my hands and apologizes for being so intense.

I smile. "Thank you." It's all I can say. It's not much, but between the two of us… it's enough. We head out of the room and down the stairs, and just before I go to open the door with the key Dagan found in the one book I get a strange image in my head. It is like I am there watching it from inside the room. I don't know what it means, but Dagan seems awfully concerned…

**(Somewhere on the other end of the Village)**

Yumi enters a warehouse. Its size is beyond anyplace else in the village. It stretches for what seems like miles. The outside appears to be a large and wide building made of wood and stone, much like everything here. There are holes that have rotted into the walls and floors. She watches her step carefully as she moves around. It's dark and damp. A cold air whistles about the warehouse. She shines her flashlight around. There isn't much to see. She walks along the west wall to keep a good distance from the middle of the area. A single rope dangles from the ceiling. It is tied into a noose. As it swings it makes an irritating and occasionally sketchy noise. As she gets closer to the back of the warehouse the voices start. It sounds like a whispering female. She can't be too much older than the red-haired girl I have seen. She almost sounds like the spirit of the woman who keeps harassing me. What does she want with Yumi? _"Bleed… bleed…"_ Her soft, melodious way of speaking is frightening and relaxing at the same time. _"I cherish what I know… Their blood… It's not my fault. They couldn't die, wouldn't die… Alive… never dead, never dead… Always alive, alive… Bleeding… bleeding like my heart… the blood never stops… … … never stops…" _Everything, even Yumi, falls silent.

"_I killed a million worthless souls, but I couldn't kill you."_

Yumi's eyes widen in terror. "Ah!" She gasps as a rush of white light engulfs her. The warehouse turns black and white. Yumi has even lost her color. The flashlight she holds goes out. She curses and throws it down. The phrase 'I couldn't kill you' repeats over and over like a broken record. It gets louder and louder as well. Yumi panics and runs to where she entered, but before she reaches the door the red-haired girl appears from nothing. She walks straight at Yumi. 'I couldn't kill you' is now being screamed at the top of the voice's lungs. Yumi covers her ears and yells for silence. She starts backing up… She's going right for the noose! I want to tell her to move out of the way! No, don't back up any further! It's too late. The red-haired spirit pushes her back until she is directly under the noose. The screaming of the voice stops. Yumi uncovers her ears and opens her eyes. Everything is still in black and white, but she doesn't see the ghost anymore. I do. It's behind you, Yumi! The spirit pulls down the noose and tightens it around Yumi's neck. She pulls tighter, and tighter, and then even tighter. The spirit whispers into Yumi's ear. _"I have to make up for past mistakes…"_ She pulls one last time and the entire scene goes white. I think everything is over, but then I see the room again. It's still black and white, but the noose dangles loosely and empty. Blood is under the noose. Things switch to two hands clasping together. I hear the last whisper as I see the last image of Yumi being hung, her eyes rolling in the back of her head. _"Endless…"_

My eyes open to the dusty and aged appeal of the Okura house. My head throbs with all the pain of the sickest of imageries. I clasp my neck with a fearful thought that I am dead. My chest rises and falls with each breath. I am alive. I sigh heavily and tell Dagan not to be worried. I am just fine. When he doesn't reply I look about me. He isn't here. The key is missing, too. The door that was locked is now slightly ajar. The key rests in the keyhole. I quietly call my companion's name. I get to my feet and open the door the rest of the way. There is a small room here. Some dolls line the back wall on a shelf. A bed is neatly made with a diary on the pillow. An ink pen rolls off as I sit down to look at the text. I reach down to pick it up when I get a sense that I am no longer alone. A pale arm reaches out and grabs the pen. It starts to pull it back in. I snap a photo before it is completely under the bed. I've acquired the **'Hidden Soul'** photo (_a little boy's spirit hides under the bed from a raging sibling._) I wait with the Camera still in my hands in case things take a turn for the worst. When nothing occurs after a short while I return my attention to the small diary. It seems like whoever wrote in this was a very intelligent person. I skim over it at first. It's a red diary with black floral designs on it. It seems roses are popular in this village when it comes to keeping a journal.

**Red Rose Book 1:** _"I'm thrilled about moving here. We used to live across the village, but father says it was too close to the Ceremony Grounds. All the chanting and fire blazing kept people awake. A lot of families moved out and to different locations within the village. The other day I saw the Sutuki Family leave their place of residence. They are a really nice bunch. Father works with Mr. Sutuki at the Church. Both of them vie for the Head Priest title, but they are friendly and generous towards one another. I do feel bad for the empty houses that are left. They seem so… sad somehow." **1/5** "Tomoya won't keep his hands off of my belongings. He tends to get into things. I don't want him snooping around anymore! What if he finds my jewelry box? I can't have that little annoyance rummaging through that stuff. I told mother, which she tells me to take it up with father. I tell him and he says to take it up with her. I ask Tomoya to please respect my property… he's too young… he doesn't get anything… I guess I have to teach him a thing or two about maturity!" **2/5** "Master Tanaka keeps asking questions around the village about the researchers. He seems destined to figure out why they are here. No, he is destined to keep US from figuring out why they here. I know what he's hiding. How could I not? I'm the middle of things…"** 3/5** "I told Tomoya to keep the Master out of my room… Do you think he's listened? No… the box… it's opened…Your picture… it's gone!" **4/5** "… I came looking for you… Where did you go…? I'll wait until the red clears… forever… I'll wait forever…"** 5/5**_

I hear someone's steps at the back of the room. There is another wood panel door. I hadn't seen it before because it had been closed. It is now open and I think I can see a little boy peeking through the crack between the door and the wall. I leave the diary and the bed. I approach the wood panel with my hands on the Camera. I don't raise it up, but I am ready to at moment's notice. The wood door closes abruptly just as I am to head through. The little boy gasps. _"Oh, no! She's coming! She's here!"_ My flashlight starts to flicker. I shake it and tap on it. It's dieing out! I feel someone's presence behind me. Their feet creak on the floor boards. I take my hands from my pocket that the flashlight is in and I place the Camera to my face. I count to three and turn around. Through the lens I can't see a thing! There's nothing! Someone puts their cold hand on my shoulder. I look back and no one is there. A loud thud comes from beyond the wood panel door. _"I think she's gone!"_ The little boy whispers again. The panel door cracks open. My flashlight is back on. I lower the Camera. Am I going crazy, or what? I open the wood panel door to reveal the place that I had seen in the vision of the little boy's death.

It is quiet until I take a step into the room. A little boy's spirit holds a train. He smiles and turns back to me. _"Jun, look what father gave me!"_ I snap a picture. I've acquired the **'Playing Soul' **photo (_Tomoya Okura plays with his favorite toy before he faces a brutal murder)_. As soon as I lower the Camera one more time and his spirit vanishes I get a sense that I am not alone again. My flashlight isn't flickering out, but it is dimming from time to time. The detection of the Camera indicates that it is an evil, harmful spirit. I panic. The wood panel door closes and the little boy's spirit appears in front of me. He's transparent, wearing the clothes that I have been seeing him in, but something is off. His head is bent to the left and a rope dangles from his neck. His arms and legs are not attached, but they are around. His hands drag his arms across the floor. His legs wander about. I start frantically snapping pictures of his limbs and him. His limbs disappear almost instantly. Tomoya's spirit runs at me and he manages to strike me with his small head. It almost seems like he is trying to bite me! I push him away and quickly take a few more shots. It isn't long before he cries in pain and disperses into orbs of white lights. His transparent form falls to the ground and vanishes. A spirit stone is left behind. There is another one of those orbs like the one I received from the woman in the lighthouse. I forgot to mention it to Dagan. I pick up both. The stone is a **Turquoise Gem**. There is also a new photo in my Camera. It's the **'Tomoya Okura'** photo (_a priest's son that was brutally murdered in his sister's room. He longs to see his mother and father one last time._)

_**Turquoise Gem:** Little Boy's Voice (Crying, scared, hysterical laughter of a young girl in background): "No… No, I won't leave them here alone… I don't want to leave them here…I miss them… Please, don't make me do it, Jun… Please…I'm all alone… What did you do to everyone? Why are they gone…? Jun… Jun…"_

I leave Jun's room and I take a look over at the stairs. Is… is that the notebook that fell downstairs? I approach the collapsed staircase and see the text that had fallen earlier when I first entered the Okura house. I can think of no possible explanation for its sudden return. I pick it up.

**Monroe Accounts 1:** _"It's amazing how alike the villages are. They share their differences, but in those differences is where the similarities lie. Each one had their ancient customs and gruesome rituals. All God's, which I never saw for myself, felt that Twins appeased the Gods and the Hellish Abyss. There is only one set of Twins here. What is the power of this unknown place? What actually takes place here?" **1/2** "The Master of this Village has never given us a warm smile. The others seem kind and relatively decent, but the Master, Kazua Tanaka, refuses to tell us anything regarding All God's and this village. What is its history? Its role in this forest? Its name? The villagers won't tell us anything either. I can see in their eyes that they long to say something, but the Master has his own pair that loom over this entire place… I'm almost afraid to stay here any longer." **2/2**_

Gerald's spirit appears by the wood panel door. He shakes his head. _"I can't find her anywhere…"_ I snap a photo. I've acquired the **'His Disappointment'** photo (_Gerald Hemmingway is losing hope of ever finding his daughter alive._) His spirit soon goes right through the door. I head over to the wood panel door, which I had been unable to open earlier. A strange feeling is coming from it. I lift my Camera and through the lens I see what looks like six ghostly faces staring at me. They do not seem to be fatal. I take a picture anyway. The faces morph into an image of a straw doll on the ground with a rope around its neck. It is the one I saw in the pitch black room upstairs. I head up to the room. I got the same strange sense from the doll. I took its picture and the six faces appear. They swirl and vanish. The feeling is gone. I got a new photo from it, too. It is the **'Hung Doll'** photo (_Jun Okura's favorite doll, she tried to strangle it when she thought it was _go_ing to kill her_). I return to the wood panel door. I can open it, and I do.

Inside here it is like a family room. A pastel blue blanket is on the ground to my right. There are two pillows on opposite sides. They are the same color as the blanket only they have white stripes on them. They look hand sown. A cabinet is beyond there. A drawer is ajar. I approach it. Behind me (which is to the left from the entrance) is a partition screen and a lattice beyond that. An atrium for the garden can be seen. I haven't seen it from anywhere else in the house before. I figure it has something to do with the lower level that I cannot reach at this point in time due to the collapsed stairwell. I find a note scrawled in the wood at the back of the cabinet. I take my flashlight from my pocket and shine it on the words. It says, 'Help Me. I Can't Get Out. I Can't Get Out. I'm Trapped Here. Trapped.' I am startled when I hear knocking on the wood panel door. I turn and shine the light about the room. Gerald's spirit must be lingering. I can hear his groans. _"I tried to find her… I can't find my daughter anywhere…Where did you go…? Oh, where did you go?"_ After a few moments things are quiet again. I see no real reason to stay any longer. I am worried about Dagan and Yumi. I head out to leave the Okura house and back to the village path.

There is a house across from the village. It is larger than the Okura house. I open the door and step inside. A spirit ambushes me. It looks like a woman with her long hair halfway pulled back. She wears a dark blue kimono and brown sandals. It looks like she has a brown mark around her neck. Has she been hung, too? I run into the center of the first floor to escape being cornered. The ground is on one level and there is a wood panel door in the same place as the Okura house. The hallway is next to it. I don't see any stairs yet. It is very dark here. The walls and the floor are all made of wood as far as I can tell. There is not much else to notice beside the severe worn appearance of this house. It must be decades older than the Okura house. I aim the Camera Obscura at the spirit. I wait until she is close enough. I snap a shot and wait for the film to reload while backing away from her advancing. I take another shot. She is pushed away, but not vanishing. The dark kimono spirit comes at me again. I snap two more times. She bellows in pain before disappearing. I try the panel door. It opens without trouble.

It is highly dark. I hold the flashlight in my hand now. I move it around to take in my surroundings. The walls are deteriorating badly. The floor is noisy with each step I make. To the left is nothing but a broken chair. To the right is an ancient scroll hanging on the wall. I cannot read it. It looks like it was important to the people who lived here because there are candles around it. The candles, however, don't appear so aged. They are lit and burn with a vanilla scent. I go over to it. Am I imaging things here? They are even new. The wax has hardly melted. Gerald's spirit appears next to me. He looks over me with his hand on my shoulder. He stares at the scroll before focusing on me. _"I almost remember…"_ His grip intensified. I move away and snap his picture. Nothing happens. I panic and run to the door. Gerald's spirit stands in my way. He's teleporting! I try to keep my distance from him. He advances toward me. _"I almost remember where I hid her…"_ His hands come at me. I try to capture his spirit, but again the Camera has no effect. On the last try I am out of film. I lure his spirit from the door. I dash for it and exit the room. Of course, Gerald can follow. I try to leave the house, but the door refuses to open. I look down the hallway and hope there is safety somewhere. A staircase is on the left and a door is in front of me. The door will not open either. I take a turn up the stairs.

I appear to be in an attic. Cobwebs are on every inch of the place. A small window is to the left. A chilly breeze brushes through. There are piles and piles of old items like clothes, toys, pictures, pillows, blankets, some pottery, and a small blue box with a two-headed lion made of gold on it. It reminds me of the key in the Okura house. Is it the jewelry box Jun Okura had been trying to keep hidden? Why would it be in the house across the path? Gerald's spirit comes moping up the stairs. _"I kept her hidden somewhere… I almost remember…"_ I pull a white blanket over top of me and I hide behind a pile of old stuff. I turn the flashlight off. I hold as still as I can in my dusty, allergenic tent. Gerald's spirit lingers in the attic for a little while before he weeps into his hands and leaves. As soon as things are dead silent I reach my arm around the pile of old toys and stuff to grab the jewelry box. I am remaining under the white blanket incase any more ghosts decide to harass me. I open the box to see a folded note and a black pearl. I pocket the **Black Pearl** for now. I unfold the note and read it.

_**Jun's Note:** "If you found this, then you've come back to see me. If you're wondering why it's here, then let me tell you. I thought Master Tanaka stole it from me, but it turns out I misplaced it. The Shimo Widow passed away recently. No one touches her house because they say it is discourteous. It gives me the perfect place to hide our past. If someone found it…you know. If you need a way to exit the Shimo Widow's house without being seen, use the door at the bottom of the stairs. It will take you into Mr. Yoshiawa's house. If you've made it during the day, he is at the Church. Go ahead and exit his house. No one will question you because it's his place. He's the Head Priest. Nanako, I'll wait for you…We can do this. I know we can."_

A picture of Jun Okura in a silver kimono with her arm around an unknown, pretty girl is tapped to the bottom of the jewelry box. The strange youth wears a short, pink kimono. She has black sandals and her hair is long and black. Her eyes are the same color as mine. Her face is slightly blurry, though. Wouldn't it be funny if she looks exactly like me! Ha, ha… ha… ha… … … ha. I look on the back of the picture to see something written in Jun's handwriting: 'Nanako, I will always love you. Forever." I try the **Black Pearl** in the Radio, but it won't play! I don't let it get to me too much. I have other things on my mind.

"This is the Shimo house?" I glance at the attic walls in the darkness. I whisper out loud my thoughts as I descend the attic stairs. "Did the widow die here?" I stumble upon another picture. It shows Gerald standing next to what might be his daughter. Something is not right about the picture. His daughter looks completely blurred and scratched out. The more I look at it, the more I want to look away. Another one of those black and white images scold my eyes. I can see Gerald wandering around aimlessly in the paths of the village. I can see things through his view. He scuffs his feet along the dirt path. As he makes his way slowly about the village the image flickers to other random things. One such thing is the scene I have seen before. It is of the blood running down the pale cheek. It often gets interrupted by another flickering image, however. It occasionally looks like Jun Okura is sitting on her knees in front of the unknown girl in the photo. She sits the same way. Next to them are a thriving forest and the village. Jun leans closer and closer to the face of the girl, which cannot be seen because of her long hair (she is dressed like the spirit in the lighthouse that wore the dark red kimono). Something else appears, but only for a short while. I can hardly tell what it means, but it looks like Jun Okura wearing a black wig, which she removes to reveal her red hair. Her silver kimono drips with blood. It goes back to Jun and the other girl sitting close together. They seem like they might kiss. _"We can do this together. I know we can. If we escape, we can be with each other. Forever."_ Suddenly a rush of villagers holding torches and pointing at the girls screaming silently run at them. The two girls get to their feet and start running for their lives. The gate that leads out of the village and deeper into the forest is starting to shut. The unknown girl, most likely Nanako, manages to slip through. She keeps running. She does not notice that Jun is no longer at her side. Jun is on the other end of the gate being dragged back to the village by the villagers. She screams for Nanako. Jun is already pulled back into the village by the time Nanako makes it back to the gate to see what happened. She has her head lowered, so her face is still not visible. _"I'll come back for you… I promise…"_ The image now focuses mainly on Gerald wandering around the village. He pulls out the picture that I have found. The scene focuses on the warped face of his daughter in the picture. It flashes to a gruesome depiction of slaughtering and blood shedding of the villagers. Jun Okura starts to mutilate her own face. She peers into a river. Her blood drops, making it slightly red. It then cuts to a scene of a huge tsunami of blood red water consuming the village. It now goes back to Jun looking deep at her reflection. _"It's endless…"_ The images stop.

The picture trembles in my hands. "This… " One of my tears falls on the warped face of his daughter, "… must be his…"

End

Chapter Four

**Any and all reviews welcomed!**

**I will revise if needed!**

**Next time:** This Pain

**Thank you!**

Author's Note

Jun Okura and Nanako's role in the plot is complex and extensive. It also merges with another plot that is coming up soon. I will let you know this: Jun wearing a black wig is an important thing to remember.


	5. This Pain

Disclaimer

**Please read: **I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the second Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Five

This Pain

"_I close my eyes to make it all go away,_

_I do not want to hurt anyone,_

_But everyone longs to hurt me"_

I try the door at the bottom of the attic stairs once more. It will now open. I head through and into the Yoshiawa house. Apparently, this belongs to the Head Priest of the Church. It is evident by what I find in his house. I enter near a back balcony. It is actually more like an extended porch. I can see a wilted garden before me. I cannot reach it unless I jump the fence on the porch, which I do not feel like doing. I do not notice anything of interest there. To the right is a dead end with nothing to stare at besides an empty plant pot. The way to the Yoshiawa house is to the left, anyhow. As I make my way to the back door of the Head Priest's house I get a glimpse on how religious this man really is. Symbols that resemble a seven sided star with criss-crosses on each point are painted on the outside wall of the Shimo house in red paint. When I reach the door to the Yoshiawa residence I can see the same symbol on it, but it has not been placed there by red paint. It is wet and dripping, fresh blood. I enter.

As soon as I step inside an elderly man's spirit surprises me. He is wearing a large white robe with the symbol on the long sleeves and the chest. On his feet are dark brown sandals and he wears matching gloves. He has a tall hat with the symbol repeating on it three times to form a triangle of it. The elder's face shows him to be very advanced in years. His eyes are sunk into his skull and wrinkles cover every inch of him. He wields a long staff with the symbol decorating it. _"Ready the ropes. We have a live one."_ I take his picture. I now have the **'Informer'** photo (_The Head Priest spreads the news to villagers about an upcoming Ceremony._) When he is gone I pull my flashlight from my pocket and search his home. I am almost certain there is another house next to this one. The wall bends in slightly. It seems to be to the right of where I am standing, but that would put it behind the Yoshiawa house if one judges from the main entrance. I focus on the contents of this house, though. There are paintings and dedications to the Church all over the walls, which are naturally made of wood. I can see the Head Priest is a well known person throughout the village. There are a countless number of letters addressed to him from people. He keeps them hanging on the wall, too. The floor is bare of any rug until I move to the entrance. An enormous red and white rug is before a fireplace where a picture of a spiritual woman is above. It can possibly be a goddess of sorts. She holds a white sheet over her pale and naked body. Her long, flowing black hair reaches beyond the frame of the picture. Her red eyes are staring straight out. I almost feel like she can see me.

There is not anything else besides the numerous candles that are lit and burning a vanilla scent. They are all over the floor. I make my way back to where I first came in from. There is a hallway almost directly across from the back door. I had not really even seen it. I had been more intent on seeing the fireplace, I guess. The hallway is short and has a stairwell at the end of it. A door is to the left as I start to walk to the stairs. I head through. It leads into a large area of bedding and praying. Blankets and pillows are scattered. An altar of more candles and another portrait of the goddess are also here. I move to the other end of the room where I can see another door. I head through here and find myself in another hallway. It leads to the left some ways down and to the right only a few steps. Another door is here at my right. I open it, but I don't step in. There is not much space. It is just a storage closet for more scented candles and extra blankets and pillows. I close it and start down the hallway in the other direction. There is a set of stairs leading down at the end of this hall. There is also a door to the left. I take that path.

The room is a kitchen and dining place. I can see rotting corpses of fish and wildlife animals that never got their chance to be cooked. A fire pit to prepare meals is next to the bin of meats. There is also a ground well to supply water in this area. A full bucket sits in wait. I glance over at the other end of the room. A very stubby table is surrounded by puffy cushions on all sides. A butchering knife is next to each dusty plate, except one. The seating area to the right does not have one. I think it troubling to say the least, but maybe the Head Priest has children. I leave the room and head back near the stairs. As soon as I exit I am face-to-face with Gerald's spirit again. There is no indication that he is going to try and harm me this time. We don't say anything to each other. We stare solemnly into one another's eyes. I am frightened, and he is full of sorrow. We both exchange a bond of pain. It is almost like we are each other. I know what it is like to be chasing something you long for with every fiber of your existence. However, the more I watch him and his stone complexion the more I sense something else. No, Gerald… It's not me.

His spirit turns to the stairs leading down. I snap a picture before he vanishes into the thick dark below. It's the **'His Longing'** photo (_Gerald Hemmingway wants so badly to know the whereabouts of his daughter. He vowed to die searching for her if it ever had to come to that._) I take the stairs down into murkiness of Yoshiawa's basement. My flashlight hardly does any good with the fog settling down here. The stairs seem to lead for eternity. They are not stopping any time soon. I have no idea where they are taking me. I cannot see what is to come ahead for me. I do start to hear the loud and brisk chanting of an elderly man. Over it is another man's voice. _"They don't seem to know what they're doing to their people. They think they are helping their village by cleansing it of all evil. Why kill these people? Why kill them when they have done little or no wrong? Is it a cover for something more sinister? I don't know if I will ever find out. Hell, even if I did uncover the answers, I wouldn't be able to leave this place. There isn't a way out. I can only hope that someone catches on to what happens here… … and they don't come near… Please, anyone…save yourself… leave… leave before they know your face… … It's… It's… It's endless! It never stops! GO, NOW! LEAVE! Turn away… turn away…"_ When the man finishes so does the chanting. I also find the bottom of the stairs… and a locked door! It's a set of red double doors. I can smell the burning of vanilla candles. Someone's in there. They walk by and mumble something. I try again to open it, but nothing. A rose head is etched on the left door and a stem is etched on the right. I sigh and make my way back upstairs.

I backtrack all the length of the hallways and altar room until I reach the second floor stairs. I head up them with high expectations that I am getting closer and closer to the truth about this place. Does it even have a name? I am at the second floor now. Yet another hallway is before me. The walls are wallpapered with a faded silver shade to it. There are rips and tears in it. A few insects skitter on the rotted wood of the ground. I shriek as one crawls over my foot. I kick it away and keep moving. The third hallway of this house goes straight until an oak stand with a yellow vase is in front of me. It now turns to the left and heads straight once more. There are rows of windows on the right side wall. I can see the other houses faintly through the fog. For a single second I could have sworn I saw people with torches gathering somewhere near the large bridge. It might be a cemetery. It appears that someone is being hung! When I blink it all fades. I keep pushing on until the hallway takes another left. This time the oak stand has a red vase. The hallway goes straight again and forks another left with a blue vase on an oak stand. The goes repeats the same pattern, but with a purple vase. It does it again with a green vase, then a black vase, and when I reach a pink vase the path ends at another portrait of the goddess after a short right turn. I also notice some sheets of paper and another Spirit Stone. It's a **Lazulite**.

**Monroe Accounts 2:**_ "This puzzle confuses me. I heard from Munuta that the Head Priest kept high security on his main chambers down stairs. Munuta Aragaki lives across from Mr. Yoshiawa. He claims Yoshiawa has been spending a lot of time at the Church lately. When he is home he confides himself down stairs all alone. Munuta, who've I grown to be great friends with since my arrival, informs me that it is possible that Yoshiawa is separating himself from others in order to prepare for a ritual. A Priest must only have contact with the Gods and the Church. The villagers know when to remain silent around the Priests because they will veil themselves with black nets on their faces. There are many rumors to why they cover their faces, though. Munuta says it can be to let others know not to speak around them, or to protect themselves from whoever is to be sacrificed at the ritual. I am confused on the whole idea of sacrifices and rituals. I know they exist, but what goes on during these things? Why would Priests need to veil themselves from the victim? Munuta apologizes for not telling me more. He says he could get into trouble for even standing next to me. I will discuss matters with the Master of the Village tomorrow. Perhaps with some kind words he will learn to welcome my team and me." **1/2** "The meeting with Kazua Tanaka did not go well. First off, he spoke in a different language the entire time. Second of all, he refused permission for me to talk during the whole ordeal. There was a young girl, his daughter, to translate for me. She often whispered and looked at the ground. I hardly heard a word. I left feeling angry and discriminated against. No one means this place any harm! We only wish to know about it. I mean, we can't have a repeat of All God's. Can we?" **2/2**_

_**Lazulite:** Man's Voice (worried, scared, tired, warped growls and static voices in background): "What…? What is WRONG with this place? I don't understand what has happened… Where are you? I've come a long way to find you, but… you're not here… Why…? Why?"_

I leave the second floor and head back to the entrance of the Yoshiawa house. I am just about to touch the handle to the door and head across to the Aragaki house when I hear footsteps come from the back door. The entire place goes pitch black and my flashlight stops working. The candles are lit, but they do not shine any light. Their glare looks dreary and sad. I panic and start to wheeze. I try to open the main door, but it just will not budge. I can hear the elderly voice of the Head Priest. He is talking about a ritual; that it is time and the village must attend. I keep pushing and pulling on the door. There is never any progress. I run to the hallway and try the door on the left, but it has the same result. I start to head up the stairs (although I know it is a dead end). A group of about seven Priests start to descend the stairway. Each one has a robe that corresponds with the vases I had seen upstairs in the winding hallway. The Head Priest is in the middle. I back up and right in front of Gerald's spirit. His tearing eyes look at my fearful ones as I now face him. _"It didn't have to happen this way… If only she had stayed home… If only…"_ He lowers his head and I move past him. I run to the back door and it will not open, either. I raise my Camera and start clicking away at Gerald and at the group of Priests. They do not vanish away. The group of Priests grabs Gerald by the shoulder of his clothes with their free hand and they start to guide him along. Six of them go straight through the front doorwith Gerald. He gives me one last look and one last, _I'm sorry_, before heading on. The Head Priest stays behind for a few moments. He goes to the fireplace. He bows his head to the goddess on the portrait. Yoshiawa now moves his hands over the candles. Their light casting days return! It is not longer pitch black and my flashlight comes back alive. The Head Priest glances at me before leaving. _"You might want to leave…"_ He snarls at me. I take a picture just before he's completely gone. I've acquire three new photos. They are: **'His Funeral'** (_Gerald Hemmingway is about to meet his fate at the hands of the Priests in an unknown Ceremony_), **'Alliance'** (_The seven Priests of the village ready for the sacrifice of a sinner in a strange Ceremony_), **'The Bad Feeling'** (_Head Priest Yoshiawa feels something is different about the upcoming ritual after praying with the 'goddess.'_)

The entrance door is now able to be opened. I exit the Yoshiawa house. The Aragaki house is straight ahead. It looks about the same size as Yoshiawa's. The outside is made of the same elements as the rest of the places in the village. In the notes left by a researcher, Monroe, it speaks about how the villager, who has lived here, Munuta Aragaki, had been helping him to uncover the mystery surrounding this village. I start to enter when three villagers come from the direction of the Okura and Shimo houses. They are angry spirits that wield axes and knives. Why are they after me! I aim the Camera at them and start to take pictures as fast as I can. I am able to push them away a short distance. One of them vanishes to their ghostly death. The other two shout on about a traitor and a sinner. Are they accusing me of something? It's not me! I take a few more pictures until the other two have dispersed to their deaths as well. When it is over I continue entering the Aragaki house. What will I see next?

To the right inside of the house is a wall filled with researcher's notes. They seem much older and more aged than Monroe's. I glance over them. I do not feel like reading every single one. There are so many! What I can gather from the notes is that Munuta Aragaki collects these accounts to record patterns in what the researcher's find. The dates and times of events put this village here _before_ All God's. The researchers that are mentioned on these notes claim the same things as Monroe and the others. The Tanaka family has been the ruler of this place since it began. There is no straight detail of what anyone uncovers, though. I have a feeling that Monroe must have uncovered something. The village is obliterated.

Straight ahead of me is a small door. It is not very high. Perhaps Munuta had children? To the left is a hallway that seems to wrap around and to the back of the house. The lighting is very dim. There are floor lamps with paper shades over them, but a few are filthy and cast a dark glare on the wall. I jump when I catch a glimpse of my shadow for a moment as I approach the small door. There are not any pillows or blankets on the dusty floor, I notice. The place is empty. Did something happen to Munuta Aragaki? I open the small door to see, not a child's room, but a damp cellar. The walls, ceiling, and floor are made of chipped rock and dug up soil. It's like someone had been trying to dig their way out! I get a sick chill up my spine. I hear the voice of a young male in my left ear. I can almost feel a hand on my shoulder once more. It is not Gerald this time. It's someone else. _"We couldn't escape…"_ I peer behind me. There is no one there. I leave the room.

I make my way down the hall. It turns to the right and I follow it. There is a door at the left. I try and open it. It is locked. The young male's voice is beyond it. _"They'll take us down with them…"_ I knock and call out. Instead of the young male replying I get the growling hiss of someone or something. _"Go away!"_ An object slams against the other side of the door. There is a shadow at the bottom near my feet. I kneel down to see what was thrown. There is someone's face, well… someone's head. It is a severed head of a young woman with long, charcoal black hair and wide, brown eyes. A woman's hand reaches down and picks it up by the hair. The hissing voice speaks again, _"That's mine…!"_ I stumble away from the door. When the shadow is gone I slowly peek back under. There is nothing but a pool of dried blood and someone's feet walking out of my view. I try the door one more time, but there is no progress. I move from it and glance down at the end of the hallway. It is nothing but darkness. There is one bright thing down there. I cannot really tell what it is until it keeps moving closer to me. It keeps getting closer and closer. Soon two more bright objects are below it. Are… Are those hands? Is it someone's face? It looks like the woman in the kimono that keeps calling me 'Miaka.' She whispers inaudibly to me. I shine my flashlight. She's gone…No, now I hear her behind me. I turn around. She is gone again. I keep looking back and forth. _"Miaka, where… were… you…?"_ I start to continue down the hall when things seem quiet. I end up kicking something. I point the flashlight at the ground. It's a **Blood Red Chrysolla**. I take it and play it in the radio.

_**Blood Red Chrysolla:** Woman's Voice (Tenses change between deep and low to squeaking and high pitch, running water in background): "I took care of you… I watched over us… I put the doll in the blanket…! Sung you to sleep… fed you blood and water… emptied your head…! Replaced the hollowed out dark with my own name… I remember you… remembering me…! They bled out, bled out…! Bled out into the rose red sea…"_

I go on until I come to a door at my right. I open it to see an empty room. It is small with a hanging lamp dangling violently back and forth. The wind is strong and comes from an open window at the far wall. Purple curtains that are torn up like rags wipe around in the same breeze. It is strangely warm. At certain times when the lamp swings about I can see the transparent spirits of a young man with a rope tied on his neck, which seems broken by the way his head is titled to one side. He appears at one spot in the room, and now is not there anymore. He appears somewhere else and now is gone the moment I catch his image. I believe he wears a white shirt filled with holes and brown pants with tears at the bottom. He has bare feet, short, brown hair, and brown eyes (I think). The young man is rather tall and lanky. It is almost like he has starved. His bones stick out of his skin. I can hear the young man's voice. Is this… Munuta Aragaki? _"They'll… take us down… They'll… ruin us like they did the others… We'll have to find another way out… You go ahead… I'll catch up later… Save yourself…"_ I start snapping photos. It does not do anything. His spirit will not even show in the picture. I stop trying to use the Camera on him. I'm very low on film. His spirit gets closer each time he appears at different spots of the room. When he reaches me my eyes are blinded by a flash of white light. His hands grab my neck. Another black and white 'movie' plays in my mind.

The view is through Munuta Aragaki's eyes. The Priests I had seen earlier are escorting him through a forest. Each one has a colored rope that corresponds with the roses and vases, as well as their robes. The hold on to one end and the other end is around Munuta's neck. The Priests still have a rose in their other hand. I cannot tell where they are exactly at, but it is most certainly somewhere outside of the village. The woods are thick, dark and hold a heavy fog over them. In the distance are lit torches that stand high. It resembles what I saw outside of the window in the Yoshiawa house. Munuta looks to his right. The Priests have veils over their faces, but I focus more on what he is focusing on. The village is there. They are traveling on a raised path just above the village. Munuta looks at his house. He looks into the window where I am currently standing in. He sees a woman with long, black hair and brown eyes. It's the woman who lost her head in the one room that I cannot get into. A little girl runs up next to her. They wave with tears in their eyes. Munuta lowers his head. As they keep moving the image flashes to scenes of Munuta and a researcher (most likely Monroe) talking over tea in the Aragaki house. The place is furnished, though. They are seated on pillows. Monroe is dressed in a safari-like outfit. In fact, he resembles Dagan's dad quite a lot. _"They know I've been talking to you…" _Munuta whispers. _"You might want to leave…"_ A herd of villagers and Priests start to try and break into his house. _"Quick! Leave out the back way!"_ Monroe runs down the hallway. Munuta's wife and child take cover in the small room. Munuta locks the door and hides the key somewhere upstairs… The image goes back to him glancing one last time at his house. His wife and child are not actually waving at him. It is just a memory of them. He starts to cry. _"I couldn't help them escape… So I locked them away… What have I done…? Monroe…please return to save them…"_ The last scene is of Munuta's face. His eyes roll to the back of his head. _"What have I done…?"_

I open my eyes to see the wind has calmed and the lamp has started to slow down. I hear slamming. I shine my flashlight at the back wall. A part of it opens and shuts. Is that the back door? As I walk past the window the spirit of the Priests escorting Munuta appear on the upper path. I snap a picture. I've acquired the **'Munuta's Ceremony'** photo (_Munuta Aragaki heads towards the Ceremony grounds. He is upset, not that he is about to die, but that he couldn't save his family._) I think back on the small door after I hear Munuta's voice. _"You came back…?"_ The door is not locked anymore. I wonder if that means that Monroe had been able to save Munuta's wife and child. Why did her head get severed off? What ever happened to his child? I turn away from the window and the back door. I'm not ready to leave just yet. I want to know what has happened to the Aragaki house. I need to know. I go back to the hallway and to the right. There are no more doors. There is a stairwell that leads up. I ascend them. I cannot help but feel that it is my turn to play the researcher. I have to uncover the mystery behind this village. I have to find Yumi and Dagan. I have to find out why Gerald and Munuta are missing. I have to know what Monroe found that caused this village to suddenly turn into a ghost town. I have to know who I am… who the childhood memory represents… This pain? No, this pain is not a childhood memory. This pain is a strong nag that pulls at me from all angles. It keeps going even after I am about to rip apart. I am so tired… will it let me sleep? My eyes close on their own and my body falls down on the wooden stairs. I drift off… forgetting all about this pain.

End

Chapter Five

**Any and all reviews welcomed!**

**I will revise if needed!**

**Next time:** House of Horrors

**Thank you!**


	6. House of Horrors

Disclaimer

**Please read: **I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the second Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Six

House of Horrors

"_They are trapped in their own house,_

_A house sworn to protect them,_

_But now being there is… get out, get out, get them out…"_

I wake up slowly. My eyes take minutes to fully open. The stairs are frigid and chipped. I find a splinter in my one finger. I try and pull it out. I wince quickly. Munuta Aragaki's voice comes from upstairs. I do not know what he is saying. It almost sounds like he is crying. There is another voice, too. It might be a female's. I can hardly tell. She speaks so softly and is overwhelmed by Munuta's bellowing. I hold my head with one of my hands. It hurts so badly. My world is spinning, spinning out of control. My eyes start to recluse on their own. As I make my way up the steps the air gets colder and denser. I can feel a strange moist coming from the far hallway. I don't see any doors at the moment. I reach to turn my flashlight back on (not remembering that I had even turned it off), but it is not there anymore. I now take notice of the fact that my Camera and my Radio are missing as well. I creep down the murky hall. I can still hear Munuta's crying and the pacifying of a stranger. The more I think of it the more I realize that it might be his wife trying to calm him. There are still not any doors around. I walk with the hall as it turns to the right. My feet kick up dust from the filthy floor. I can smell the mold growing on the house. As I round this first corner I notice a door on the right. It sounds like the voices are coming from within. I peek under, but I can only see a wood floor and a white wall with fade-spots. I open it. There is nothing in here except three sheets of paper on the ground in the middle of this empty room. They don't seem very old… in fact, they seem brand new!

**Unknown 1:** _"Why do you stay?" **1/3** "Leave, leave, leave, leave, leave, leave…" **2/3** "Don't stay." **3/3**_

There is the ear-piercing sound of high-pitched static behind me. I turn to see my Radio is on the ground in the doorway. Confused, I pick the Radio up and open it. There are not any stones inside. When I close it the noise stops. I open it, but it does not return. My heart pounds as I hear the shuffling of feet and the growling rumble of someone's voice, _"Why—do—you stay?"_ It was feminine. Is it Mrs. Aragaki? I go back into the hall and catch a glimpse of a bare foot disappearing around a corner. I follow down the hall and around the second right turn. There is another door in the same place as the other one. It is slightly ajar. There is another empty room with two more sheets of newer paper on the floor.

**Unknown 2:** _"Don't stay. Don't stay here." **1/2** "Leave."** 2/2** _

A beam of light casts over me suddenly. I look at the doorway. Sure enough, there is my flashlight on the ground. I take it back and I hold onto it tightly in my shivering hands. I hear the same snarling voice, _"You can't… be… here…"_ I quickly jerk my head around the corner. I catch the same bare foot and an ankle going around a left turn in the hall. I follow and aim the flashlight down the hallway. The woman who has been harassing me and calling me 'Miaka' is opening up a door to the left. She places something (I am guessing my Camera) on the ground. She enters and the door closes behind her. I am stunned. I approach it, but it will not open for me. She slides more sheets of paper under the door. I pick them up.

**Unknown 3:** _"What are you? Leave. Don't stay. You cannot stay." **1/3** "WHAT ARE YOU?" **2/3** "I don't know what you are… I don't know…"** 3/3**_

I go further down the hallway. There is another door on the left. It is already open. I go through to see a large room with another archway to the right. The place is empty like the others. I begin to think that the villagers cleaned out Munuta's house after his death. This also means that his wife and child are dead as well. Like I realized earlier, the door where he had them hide is no longer locked. The key is upstairs somewhere, but there is no possible hiding spot with everything taken out. This also raises a red flag, though. Monroe might not have been able to save Munuta's wife and daughter. Perhaps they had been trying to dig their way out as the villagers took everything in their house. When they stumble upon the key, they most likely open the door to kidnap and kill both of them. Monroe, escaping the horror previously, comes back to see such an event. I do not know whether he is slaughtered along with them, or if he manages to leave. I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that everyone here is dead. I just hope that Dagan, Yumi, and their team are not suffering the same fate as the researchers might have. I let out a rough sigh and pass through the archway.

The way leads downstairs. The steps are rotting and most have completely withered. I find it very difficult to travel them. It gets darker and darker as I reach the bottom. It becomes too dark that my flashlight only reveals a cloud of black fog instead of a clear path. It is narrow and only gets more discomforting as my arms brush against the soil and bug-infested walls. I inhale the lint from the air. When I cough it echoes in a deep manner. I am relieved when my feet finally touch relatively level ground. There are bumps and slants. I cannot see what I am actually walking on. Maybe it is hard soil? Maybe it is chipped rock? The flashlight works slightly better if I aim it upwards a little so it slants. I get a blurry view of dirt walls and a long hall. I can hear the wails of a woman as the hall takes a sharp right turn. It keeps going and occasionally takes some more sharp twists and turns. I soon come to a dead end where fresh specks of dirt fall from above. I point the flashlight up to see a woman's arm flapping about from a hole in the wall. I gasp and jerk away as it appears she is trying to grab me. She shrieks and catches hold on my shirt. She pulls me to the wall and does not let go. I persist in loosening her grip, but it hardly does any good. Is she trying to pull me through the wall entirely! I see two flashes of light. Is that a Camera? Is it Dagan? The arm lets go of me and retreats back into the hole like a snake. Something drops afterwards. I use my flashlight to identify the object. It is an **Emerald (Small)**.

I don't play the stone in the radio yet. I go back to where I came from. I stumble across a Camera; my Camera. I pick it up. After I acquire the **'Arms to Bare'** photo (_Suke Aragaki tries to break through the wall from within a locked room to escape a gruesome death at the hands of Priests_) a whisper comes from the other end of the tunnel. It sounds like Monroe! I do not know what he is saying, but he sounds close. I start to run for the stairs that I had descended earlier. When I reach them I aim the Camera at the top of the steps. I can see the back of Monroe walking away from me. It is too late to take his picture. I am close enough to hear what he says, though. _"I failed you…I'm sorry… I am so sorry…"_ I do my best to hurry up the collapsing stairs and catch up to Monroe's spirit. As I make it to the top I see him entering the door that the woman closed on me before. My first thought is that, yes! It is open! The second thing that comes to mind is the fact that this means Monroe is dead for sure. Who saved my life? Is Dagan around somewhere? I approach the door after Monroe's spirit. I am not watching where I step so I end up kicking the item that the woman had put on the ground. It obviously is not my Camera like I guessed. It is a beautiful necklace with seven large pearls on it. Each one has two different shades of color. At one angle they will glow a certain color, but then at another it changes to a second one. As I truly examine it I think of the Priests and how they had such correspondences between their robes and the rose they carry. I also remember the vases. The colors are as follows: Yellow and pink, red and black, blue and purple, purple and green, green and blue, black and yellow, and finally pink and red. Do the diaries I find also have something to do with this? I keep the necklace with me. The room is as empty as the others have been. For a minute I can swear that I feel a presence in the room. At first I think it's Monroe, but it is not. He has regret in him. It is not Munuta's wife, either. She is frantic with fear and desperation. It is not Munuta. He has a strong hatred for himself and sorrow for others. Who is it? I hear footsteps…

"There you are!" Dagan is nearly breathless.

"Where did you go?" I inquire.

He straightens up. "I don't… I don't know. I woke up and you weren't next to me. I've been all over trying to find you. I was so worried."

I nod to him. "Yes, I was, too. I couldn't find you, either. Dagan, uh, your father… You said his name was Murdock, right?" Dagan replies that he did. I do not want to doubt him. It is _his_ father, but Monroe looks so much like him. I cannot help but ask, so I do. "Then… why does he look so much like the researcher, Monroe?"

Dagan gets a bit distracted with my Camera. He takes the photos from me and looks them over. He puts them back in the Camera and now he is occupied with the new stone I received. I have not listened to it yet, I tell him. He purses his lips and decides to answer me. "His… his name _is_ Murdock Murrioko, but… his friends started calling him Monroe. It was just a nickname… He went by it when he was working… … … Don't…" His face tightens as he tries not to cry, "… don't tell me he's dead, okay?"

"I won't, I promise." I loosely hug him.

He says that he has to check on Yumi. Dagan informs me that he has not been able to make contact with anyone in his team or anyone on the other teams as well. I blankly direct him to a warehouse-like building. He says that he knows of one across the village. He is also curious of why I am so sure of myself. I tell him it is about a vision I had. It is nothing, I claim to Dagan. He has to leave my side. He does let me know that there is a market nearby that he will return to. I should head there, he suggests. Dagan walks me down the stairs and to the entrance of the Aragaki house. When we pass the small door I glance there at the sound of Munuta's wife's whimper. Dagan takes notice of this and opens the door. When we enter we see the widow with her arms up in fright as she cowers near the dug out. Dagan snaps a photo and she vanishes. _"Please…don't hurt me anymore…"_ He hands me the **'Captured'** photo (_Suke Aragaki is found by the Priests and taken away somewhere unknown_). A small hole is on the far wall. Through it I can see the tunnel I had been in.

"She was so close to safety…" I lower my head. Dagan pulls a newspaper clipping from his knapsack. He hands it to me. He instructs me to keep it because he cannot bear to hold onto it any longer. His father's photo is with it as well. I hold it in my hands tightly. "Thank you. I will." Dagan leaves for the warehouse. I wait until I hear the main entrance door close before I read the clipping and place the photo away.

**Newspaper Clipping:** _"…Murrioko, 45, was deployed to an undisclosed location near a popular hiking trail. It was rumored that hikers and travelers were disappearing whenever they took a certain path. Their bodies were found by others on the opposite trail that could spot a gruesome sight in the distance. The victims were hanging from trees. However, none have been recovered successfully. Murrioko, a highly experienced explorer, was sent in by his organization to find the cause. The tragedies were stirring up much turmoil in the towns and cities surrounding the area. People were threatening protests and their own investigations if the government didn't do anything soon. Murrioko was their last hope. **1/3** Murrioko and his companions are keeping radio contact with others stationed in a small town near the forest. His latest reports depict an ancient village with inhabitants. He claims most are quiet and unfriendly, while the rest are helpful and kind. Murrioko told reporters via radio about the Master of the Village, Kazua Tanaka. Tanaka had been rude and secretive about his village. Murrioko kept most of his findings to himself, he admitted. He did share with the rest of the world about a certain male villager that was giving him more than he bargained for. 'There are dark secrets here,' Murrioko said, 'very dark.' He was worried for this man, though. Tanaka was suspecting the villager of leaking information about a Ceremony and a Priest. 'He wants action to be taken,' Murrioko was heartbroken. He would feel responsible if anything happened to his new friend. 'The man asked me to promise him something. I obliged. I might be longer than expected. Wait for my next transmission to you all.' Murrioko never called back…**2/3** Found… with child…on trail… ropes…**3/3** "_

The last part is smudged and I can barely read it. I can understand why Dagan is willing to come here to search for his father. It seems that someone had been found on a trail with a child. Although ropes are mentioned, I know he feels that his father is alive. It makes me wonder about the child. Munuta's daughter, perhaps? If it is his daughter, then it means that Monroe; or rather Murdock Murrioko, survived his escape from the Aragaki house and returned to fulfill his promise. He is not able to save the widow. I am puzzled with that. Did the child leave the room before her mother? How? I have a feeling that this room does not hold my answer. What about the one with the woman who lost her head? She is Mrs. Aragaki. She had been killed in that room, right? She must have gotten out and made it there. The Priests probably followed her there and decapitated her. Should I go back and check the door again? With all these questions I need to find the answers. I go back down the hall and back to the door where the woman lost her head. It is already open…

The room is empty just like the others. I can see where the spirit of Suke Aragaki went after she retrieved her head. There is a small closet. Did she lock herself in there? I can see the padlock on the door is not unlocked, but it is not locked either. It is destroyed. This means that someone forced the closet open. I aim my Camera on the door. Something about my Camera seems different. Did Dagan do something to it? I look at a small compartment on the side to see two orbs placed there. They are like the ones I have collected. I put mine next to those. I aim the Camera to notice the focus is clearer and the range is better. I can zoom in and out. Dagan also slipped me some more film. It is different than the kind I had before. Type-61? I smirk. He's sneaky. Suddenly my radio starts going haywire. There is a warped bellow coming from it. It is almost like a hollowed out cry. I pull it out and shake it gently. Is it broken? I notice a dial on it. Dagan never told me about it. I mess with it until I start hearing the voice of Monroe. There is a lot of static and interference. I am only getting bits and pieces of what he says. _"We… notice a trail… wrong t--… by a… --ate… lock…--d… We can't find a way… --ll--… loud… --ghthouse… The lighthouse… … go… --ound… the trail starts out of the gates… only one is right… don't go, don't go… --out… a rose… for the dead…"_ I remember the stone that I found. I decide to play it after Monroe's message.

**_Emerald (Small):_** _Woman's Voice (scared, chanting and shouting of Priests and villagers in background): "I can't find another way out! The wall won't budge, will not budge! What else can I do? Where can I go from here? They'll find me… They'll find me… Miaka, I can only pray that you are safe. I can only hope that they will spare you your life… Don't come back… Do not return! The time is coming, coming fast… We must… go… forever…"_

I hear loud footsteps coming from the back room. I think it is Dagan. I think maybe he forgot to tell me something. My heart pounds when I call out and get no answer, at least not the answer I am looking for. _"Where were you…?"_ The woman's voice hisses out. _"I waited for you…"_ When I reach the back room's door I can see that it is already open. I had closed it when I left earlier, right? I peek through the crack. I can see the spirit of the harassing woman dressed in her kimono. She is kneeling on the ground facing the windows. I think she is holding a necklace of some sort. It is like the one that I found. I pull it out. She turns her head to me and squints at the jewelry I have in my hand. _"I don't know what you are… but I've waited…waited for you…"_ She stands up and moves to me. I jerk away from the door as it shuts on its own. I can still feel her around. I aim the Camera at the door and take a picture. Her spirit is not harmful, according to the Camera. From the snapshot of the door emerges the white figure of the woman clasping the necklace to her chest. When I take the photo out I get double. It appears almost the same only it looks like a mirror image of the spirit—The first ones faces to the right and the other faces to the left. I've acquired two new photos, **'Mika Aragaki'** (_One of the Aragaki daughters, longs for her sisters return after escaping; thought she would return to save her from the Priests_), and **'Miaka Aragaki'** (_One of the Aragaki daughters, thought to have escaped the village with a researcher when the Priests came for her family._) The back room's door opens once more on its own. I push it further to see a diary on the ground. I pick it up. The cover is blue with purple floral designs on it.

**Blue Rose Book 1:** _"Under the Master's orders we have been watching carefully over the Aragaki home. It is a quiet surveillance. Munuta Aragaki, the father and husband, comes and goes before and after work. He collects grain and water for the village. Occasionally he stops at the Suda Market to purchase food for his family. Suke Aragaki, the mother and wife, weaves and sells clothing for the men and women in the village for profit and sport. She does so at home. We have seen her outside a few times to plant flowers and visit with neighbors. Mika and Miaka Aragaki, the daughters and sisters, live a very subtle life. We have only seen them outside to attend schooling at the Shibata house. We know nothing more. **1/3** A veiled man has been seeing Munuta Aragaki lately. His shoes are like the outsiders. Is Munuta betraying the Master? We've informed Master Tanaka about this stranger. It is clear to him, he says, that it is indeed an outsider. Which one, though? We have extended our search into the Shimo house where we can get a closer look. The widow is blind and nearly deaf. She holds no idea with our presence. We WILL see this through to the end. **2/3** The veiled man is Monroe, a researcher who has been bothering us all. I, Priest Ogawa, am most displeased. The Aragaki's were always such nice people… Now we know what we must do… Munuta, why? **3/3**"_

Things about the Aragaki family are fitting into place. Munuta Aragaki spilt information to an outsider about events in the village, which the Master took as betrayal because he was strict about speaking with people who weren't villagers. Why? I still have no clue. The next thing that happens is the killing of Munuta and his wife. Munuta is killed during a Ceremony, which I am still unfamiliar with. His wife and one daughter look on as he is led to his fate by the Seven Priests. I do not know where the other daughter is during this whole ordeal. The person who wrote in the book I just read claim they only left to attend the schooling. Was she able to sneak out? After Munuta's apparent sacrifice, the rest of his family is to be slaughtered. I am not so sure why the Priests feel that the rest of his family should die, too. There has to be something more here. Suke Aragaki is not able to escape and she winds up dead. One of the daughters, probably Miaka Aragaki, is led out of the village by the researcher, Monroe Murrioko. The other daughter, Mika, must have wandered into the horror happening to her family. Did she suffer a painful fate at the hands of Priests, take her own life, or die of natural causes? She keeps saying she waited for me… but it's not me! It's not… The mystery behind the Aragaki family is _still_ a mystery! Something else happened… something else was uncovered after Munuta's death. Gerald Hemmingway's spirit interrupts my thoughts. He appears at the back door and he looks right at me. _"This way…"_ He groans. He heads toward the main path. I follow. I take a last look at the room. I can just feel and almost see the bloodshed and the screams of the mother and the crying of the daughter. I sigh and make my way after Gerald's spirit.

Munuta… what happened to your family in this house…?

End

Chapter Six

**Any and all reviews welcomed!**

**I will revise if needed!**

**Next time:** Daughters

**Thank you!**

Author's Note

There WILL be a sequel to this story. What exactly it will contain, I am not sure. It honestly depends on the feedback that I get on this story. I could be part two of this one, or it could be a whole other plot all together. It depends on how the reaction to this one goes. And if I truly want to have the second part of the village (which will be mentioned in the story in later chapters) in this, or use that for the sequel. I am not really sure! Thanks for wonderful reviews. If you would like me to review any of your work, please don't be shy to ask! I am currently having difficulties writing chapter nine. Chapter seven and eight were easy enough. I could picture them and type them up like nothing. It was so easy, but I find myself completing chapter nine, and then earasing it. This has happened three times. I don't currently have the time to be working on it twenty-four seven. (The weekend is here! Yay!) However, maybe coming back to it with fresh eyes will help me out. Thank you!


	7. Daughters

Disclaimer

**Please read: **I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the second Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Seven

Daughters

"_I can hold her in my hands,_

_I can think that she is harmless,_

_And I look at her as she stares right back…"_

The path comes to an intersection. Straight head leads deeper into the enormous village. The left will take me to another gate that is probably locked like the other one I saw at the entrance. To the right is Gerald vanishing at the door of a strange house. As I stand at the entry to there the Yoshiawa house is behind me. I get a sudden impact like there is a set of eyes upon me. I snap my head around swiftly in hope I will catch the culprit. There is no one there, but there is something pinned on the wall. It looks like a very, very new map! Did someone just place it here? I shrug it off thinking it is Dagan's handy work. It seems beside this part of the village there is _another_ one. I am already exhausted and confused by the first few houses I have seen, now I find there are, like, twenty-thousand more to see! To the right of the Suda house is the Suda Market. Across from that is the Sutuki house. If I am to continue past the market I will face another large gate. If I go back to the intersection and take the straight path I ignored earlier I will see the Ogawa house at my left and the Suda house to my right. After this is the very large Tanaka house. It is on the left and wraps around the path's corner that turns in the right direction. The long and wide Shibata house is on the right. The empty warehouse is straight ahead and continues on as the village's path turns left. Two empty houses line the left-side. Straight from there are the cemetery and a bridge leading to the next part of the village. I decide not to look over that at the moment. I have to find Gerald! I go back to the small Suda house and enter.

It is just an open room with a door to the right that leads to the market. The only other door is at the back and belongs to a small room. The furnishings include curtains on a few filthy windows, dusty and sometimes broken vases on wooden stands (some missing legs), faded blue pillows on the floor near a stubby, wooden table, and worn scrolls hanging on the walls. They are religious and are written in some form of Latin or something like that. Latin scriptures, are they? This is Japan! I make my way across the dim lit house and to the door across from the entrance. I will head to the market after I take a look around here. My flashlight starts to cut out as I touch the handle to the door. It flickers and dies out suddenly. I shake it, but nothing comes of this. I can hear a man's prayer beyond this door. He sputters rude remarks and crude insults about people in this village. He mentions the Okura's, the Aragaki's, and the outsiders. He also speaks of a name that I never heard before: Ohnishi. I did not catch the person's first name. I slightly slide the door open to create a small crack. I use my Camera as I sneak a peek. There does not seem to be anybody in the room. I slide the door the rest of the way. A bed is at my right. The blankets look like someone has just woken up and rolled out of bed. Samurai swords line the walls. Most are inscribed to a 'Yoshinori Suda.' I assume that is the person I just heard speaking. Arrays of various hunting, cooking, and wood carving knives are displayed on a desk to the left. I notice a small, brown diary next to the displays. I read it.

**Yoshinori's Diary 1:** _"Can you believe the Okura family? I understand the death of both their parents put a strain on the children, but that is no reason to defy the laws! Sir Okura was such an honorable man! The Miss was just as darling! What a shame. What a shame. That boy should do something with his life. He never leaves that house. Never! He has friends. Why, just the other day little Alsuo Shibata came looking for him! He does not answer the door, not once. It is not locked, but Master Tanaka says it would be against the laws to barge in. I respect that. What is with little Tomoya Okura? He will starve! **1/5** I have seen the Widow of the Village speaking greatly with Jun Okura. Of course I cannot decipher details from my distance, but I can gather the gist of the conversations. Young Jun wants something of the Widow. How rude! The Widow Shimo has recently lost her husband to an illness. Sir Shimo was the greatest Shrine Priest since the dawn of time. Young Jun defiles this village! I know there is something behind that head of red hair. Perhaps it lies in the friendship with that Ohnishi girl! **2/5** I have witnessed the Aragaki Sacrifice this morning. It was marvelous! I never wrote about Sir Aragaki's behavior because it would go against Master Tanaka's wishes. He told the village not to speak of it until after the Sacrifice. Ah, I am free at last to curse the Aragaki name! Munuta Aragaki spoke with that outside man! The other outsiders left after the first few days, but the single one kept creeping around. I guess we now know why! The Aragaki's were telling him things! It is justice served. **3/5** My eyes deceive me… I never saw this coming. The Okura daughter and the Ohnishi daughter are… close! It is against the laws at the highest degree! Master Tanaka seeks to cleanse the family names and sacrifice them both! Okura and Ohnishi have been Priest families for ages. Who knew they would produce such volatile maidens? What is becoming of our once holy village? Are we all dooming to sin? **4/5** The Aragaki Widow, Madame Suke, has been murdered in her home in her daughter's room. It is shocking! Even I, the watchful man, did not see this coming! Master Tanaka seems hell bent on finding the Aragaki maidens now. I wonder what they could have done. The outside man left two days ago. Mika Aragaki, the youngest of the twins, is wandering in sorrow like a ghost. Has something happened to Miaka? Master Tanaka has not seen Mika wandering at night… I… I will defy the laws and not speak of it… Mika is not the sinful one. Miaka… look what you've done! **5/5**" _

He is the 'watchful man' of the village? No wonder he knows almost everything about this half of the village. I can hear Gerald calling for me from the main room. I leave this one and head to the sound of his voice. My flashlight has yet to work again. It is so inconvenient. The entire Suda house has darkened to nothing more than a black hole. I cannot see anything in front of me. I extend my arms and wave my hands around to feel for the door that leads to the market. Gerald's voice comes from that direction. I find the door and I open it to see the ghost of Yoshinori. He wears brown slacks that stop just above his knees, black sandals, a loose, white t-shirt and a white apron over it. He has short, black hair and brown eyes. He looks fairly old. I raise the Camera and take a shot. He moves back with his arms over his face. _"What have we come to?"_ Yoshinori dreads what his beloved village has turned into. He appears behind me as the door to the market closes and refuses to open now. I catch a brief moment of light when my flashlight clicks on for a second or two. It clicks off, but it comes back on for a short while. It repeats this process over and over. I run around trying to stay away from Yoshinori, wherever he may be. I stumble over the table and land face up. My flashlight flicks on just in time for me to see Yoshinori standing over me with his arms reaching for my neck. I freeze for a minute. I can… I can feel his pain! He loves this village! He does not want to see it end! Sinners and deifiers have ruined the village! He is a righteous man who only wants a peaceful place to live out the rest of his years quietly. No, he's about to hurt me! I get back to reality and raise my Camera. I take two shots to push him away. The flashlight goes off and I run to safety until it comes back on. I see his spirit coming at me from the corner of the room. I take another picture and he vanishes off. _"No…! No, why! Master Tanaka… I was true!"_ I find a stone where his spirit vanishes. I take it as my flashlight starts working properly again. It's a **Faintly Glowing Gem**. I try the market door and it opens now. I listen to the stone as I enter the deserted Suda Market.

_**Faintly Glowing Gem:** Man's Voice (stern, deep and low tone, rough vocals, warped echo in background): "I saw the evil in this village. I witnessed the sin with my own two eyes. But when I saw the life hung out of that child… I knew then and there just what was evil and just what sin was… What have we done…? What have we done…?"_

The Suda Market is nothing more than a dusty, old waste of space with rotting produce all over shelves (to my right). The counter where villagers would bring their food to purchase is broken in half. Another brown book is on the ground. I take it, but I will read it later. The walls and the floor are splattered with spoiled and aged produce and wheat. The smell is horrifying. My eyes water every time I breathe in. The dust is also thick in the air. The shelves broken on the floor seem like they were destroyed by great force, just like the counter. It is fairly large in size, but it holds not much more than the withering of unsold flowers and the weathered quilts decorated in holes and rips. Why would Dagan want me to wait here of all places? I exit through the front door and find myself standing across from the Sutuki house. It looks about the same size as the Yoshiawa house. Gerald's spirit is no where to be found. I sigh in frustration and take a seat on the ground. I hold Yoshinori's second brown book in my hands. I twirl it around and flip it. I look at it with a blank mind. I don't feel like reading anymore! I don't feel like taking anymore pictures, entering another house, traveling through the foggy village and encountering ghosts! I just want out of here. To tell the truth, I could care less about finding my childhood memory. That is until I see the small girl in the pink kimono again. I remember her from when I found myself trapped in the other village. She had been across the bridge. The color, like my eyes… like her eyes… She appears in front of the Sutuki house and before she enters she glances at me. _"You'll never guess who I am!"_ She giggles and vanishes right into the door. I know Dagan wants me to stay and wait at the Market for him, but I have to see this for myself. I leave the brown book behind and I follow the girl.

The first room I see is huge. All around are floral (now wilted) decorations and pottery that seem hand-crafted. Three rooms line the wall to my right. A lone room is to my left. Ahead are two rooms that connect in the center of the house. A door that leads to a hallway is to the left of that. I cannot tell much else from where I stand. Paper-shaded lamps are covering the floor near the walls. Partition screens are lining around the room. Kimonos of various colors are hanging over them. Occasionally I think I can see the silhouette of the young girl behind a few. Her laughter echoes eerily through the house. I head to the first room on the right. When I enter I can see white walls and… dolls hanging from the ceiling. They are all dressed like me. They look exactly like me! Ropes are tied around their necks and they dangle loosely. I am freaked out. I have no words to describe it. I immediately leave and head to the next room with great haste. In here is very morbid. Everything is black—the walls included, but not the wood floor or the ceiling. A bed has black bedding with a veil draped over it like a gigantic net. Candles are burning throughout the room. They are placed on the headboard of the bed, the ground, on a small stand, a black kimono box (filled with black kimonos and face veils), and at a bedroom altar. A painted portrait of a man with long, silver hair and beady brown eyes is in the center of the altar. Is this man… dead? I leave and try to enter the next room, but the lock on the door is jammed. Scrawled on it are the words, 'Master Bedroom.' It is etched in by a knife or something of that matter. I turn to the two connected rooms. They are tatami rooms. The sliding doors are already open. Things are empty and remain untouched there. I can see faded scrolls on the walls and warped closet doors. It is not until I enter the second tatami room that I notice a closet door sliding open and shut. I snap a photo with my Camera. I don't acquire anything, but the door does stop moving. I approach it and try to open it. It's stuck. I leave it alone and I head back to the entrance to check out the lone room.

"_Nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong…"_ The spirit of the pink kimono girl repeats in a whimpering whisper the same two words over and over in front of a family altar. She rocks back and forth nonstop. I ask if she is alright. She pauses and looks at me. _"Everything… is wrong…"_ She touches my arm and I see black and white flashes again. It starts out with the doll room. The hanging dolls are dressed like the pink kimono girl. The man with silver hair hangs them up. He mutters things about a horrible child and a disgraceful family. The dolls often flash to resemble me. They go back to resembling the pink kimono girl for an instant. The scene goes to a first person view of someone running through the village. They start at the cemetery. Shouting Priests and villagers take chase with their torches and ropes. The fleeing female (she is panting) makes haste for the distant gate. It is straight ahead, but is quite a ways away. She makes it to the Okura house when she hears Tomoya's scream for his sister not to kill him. She turns her head. The Priests are able to ring a rope around her neck at this time. They violently jerk and pull her body back to the cemetery. It happens so fast. It takes only seconds for them to drag her. The next scene goes to the pink kimono girl's body sinking in water. The Priests must have thrown her in after her Sacrifice. The water changes color from normal to blood red with screeching flashes. It ends with her body going down stream and falling down a waterfall. When the scene moves to her body falling, underneath her is completely black. Her eyes open and she screams. The image goes white. _"It's endless…for the dead…"_ I come to and I am alone. A diary is in the girl's place.

**Blue Rose Book 2:** _"The Sutuki house has been quiet lately. The poor Widow… At first it was the Shimo family, now the Sutuki family has experienced a loss. Ijima has suffered these past years… … and now their daughter! What is with these daughters nowadays? The family maidens are loosing ground on virtue and respect. Jun Okura and Nanako Ohnishi tried to run away together. Nanako escaped. We caught Jun and persecuted her justly. We have sent people for Nanako. She can't survive in the forest, not with the Red Trail in her way. **1/3** There is another problem. We have reason to believe the Aragaki daughter that lived, Miaka, has run off to safety with the outsider. Yoshinori Suda knew about the affair! Master Tanaka was right. Outsiders should be slaughtered the instant they step foot on our soil. We must take matters into our own hands. The escaped persons shall be caught and hung for others to see. This should keep our village safe from other corrupted people. As for Suda… … we have our plans for him. **2/3** Something is not right. The Red Trail is overflowing with the Red. This can only mean one thing… we failed. We need to prepare for a second coming! We need to resolve the sin before it begins! Grab every young daughter you see! Quickly! **3/3**"_

I am appalled and sick to my stomach. They killed every girl? Gerald's spirit weeps behind me. I turn around. He must be near the entrance. I head there to see his spirit passing through the hallway door. I catch up and find myself in a black and white hall! This is not an image. This is real time. What is going on here? I can hear Gerald's raspy, sorrowing voice. I don't see him, though. _"Gone… Gone… I can't find her anywhere… They took her away from me… Why? Why did you come back? I wanted to protect you from this… … You could have told me…"_ He sounds like he is in a dream state. I cannot get any doors open along this hallway. The path is straight until it turns to the right. This is where I see Gerald on his knees near a door. The body of a young girl is bleeding in front of him on the ground. Her jet black hair covers her face. She's dressed like the girl in the photo with Gerald. It's his daughter! He gets up from her lifeless body and faces me. _"Why did she come back here? I don't understand…She told me it was over…" _Gerald's spirit stumbles after me. The Camera has no effect on him! As I run back down the hall the way I came from I try the doors on my right one last time. They still will not open. His voice keeps going. Gerald seems really upset about his daughter coming back to the village. Is she a resident here? Maybe she returned the same time the Priests were slaughtering all of the daughters. Who is she? I exit the hallway and find myself in the main room. Gerald is right on my trail. _"Don't go… Don't go…!" _I have to choice but to leave the Sutuki house for now. When I catch my breath outside the black and white scenery is gone. Things are back in color. I do not see Yoshinori's book where I left it anymore. I catch the young girl in the pink kimono out of the corner of my eye. She has the book and she runs past the Suda house and takes a right. I do not see Dagan around the Suda Market, so I start to follow her when I start to hear a humming noise behind me. There is a blue distortion on the door of the Sutuki house. I raise my Camera and snap a picture. The ghostly faces appear and form a photo called, **'Village Sorrow,'** (_a photo of villagers on their knees near the cemetery weeping over the deaths of their daughters._) The Sutuki house's door will not open now. My surroundings return to black and white. I can hear the shouts and screams of parents calling out for their daughters. In houses are the spirits of those who lost a child weeping out windows, through doors, and so on. I take off for the little girl who has Yoshinori's book. I hope I haven't lost track of her.

The little girl is rocking on her heels waiting for me by the Ogawa house. She smiles and takes off once I am close to her. The path goes straight past the Ogawa house and half of the Tanaka house. The other half of the Tanaka house rounded the path as it turns to the right. On my right side is the Shibata house. The warehouse is ahead of me, but there is no door there. It lies ahead after the next turn, which goes to the left. A huge entrance door is there. I ignore it because the pink kimono girl goes past it and the two empty houses on the left. I can see the cemetery ahead. Something is not right about it. A thick, red cloud looms over it. It makes a circular motion. I can see the bodies of the young girls in the village hanging by ropes around their necks from bare trees. There appears to be religious symbols etched on the trees. They are the same kind I had seen in the Yoshiawa house. I come closer to the entrance gate of the cemetery to see the young girl's eyes watering. She places her face in her hands and starts to cry loudly. The entrance gate has the same blue distortion as the Sutuki house. I raise my Camera. The pink kimono girl is gone. The red cloud is gone as well. I move my eyes from the Camera. Is it just my lens? No, it is not that. The scenery is no longer black and white. The girl and the red cloud are gone. The bodies are just skeletons swaying in the wind. The gate, however, still has a distortion. I snap a photo. The ghostly faces appear and morph into a new photo, **'The Sorrow Key'** (_a photo of the locked basement door in the Yoshiawa house; a faint form of seven roses is in the background_.) Yoshinori's book is where the young girl was. I pick it up, but I am interrupted before I can read it. Dagan calls out to me. He screams for me to hurry up and 'get the hell away from that gate!' I look at him and then look at the gate. It is not the same! It is now a black hole with ghosts' arms reaching out and almost grabbing me. The harassing woman, recently identified as Mika Aragaki, walks out of the dark gate swarmed in a red cloud. Dagan pulls me away. I am frozen. That's it! It's in there! My answer, my memory! Her face, I will be able to see it! I shout for Dagan to let go of me. _"Come… Come back in, Miaka…We're waiting for you… We're here… You can come back. Come back to me…"_ My hand is about to touch hers. I will finally know what is going on! Almost, almost! Dagan yanks me away and starts to drag me back to the Suda Market. I scream. I want to know! I need to know who I am! It's me! It is me! Dagan throws me over his shoulder. The **Black Pearl** spirit stone I received from Jun's jewelry box falls out of my pocket. It glows. I can play it, now! I yell at Dagan. I tell him that I dropped something. He doesn't believe me. He looks back and sees it. He can also see that Mika Aragaki is after us with a red cloud around her. He tells me to forget about it. I need to hear it! We reach the Suda Market and he pushes through the door and closes it. I can see Mika pass by through a small crack in the wall. She touches the door and knocks. Dagan pulls me back as she tells me to open it. I want to let her in. I need to see her! Dagan holds me back and holds the door shut until things quiet down. I am furious at him.

"What are you doing!" I shout.

He glares at me. "I am saving your life! You could have been killed."

"Maybe… I should be dead…" Flashes of the images come back to me. I remember the blood down the cheek, Gerald searching for his daughter, Jun killing her brother, and then the memory I have of first entering the tunnel. I had been dressed like I was ready to go to a fancy ball or something. The villagers were dead and I stepped over them. That's… me? The more I get back to my senses and think about it, the more I realize Dagan is right. "… I'm sorry… … I just can't get over this place…" I grip Yoshinori's book in my hands. "So many died…"

Dagan nods. "I can't find Yumi anywhere. I can't find anyone anywhere! It's just us… and the dead…"

I rest on the ground. "They killed every daughter in this village, Dagan."

"I know… …" He sits next to me. "You never told me your name… or why you're here."

My heart pounds heavily. My head throbs heavily. My breath gasps heavily. My words… are gone. What do I tell him? Do I tell him that I might be who Mika Aragaki thinks I am? Do I let him know that I honestly have no clue? Do I go back out to get the **Black Pearl** and listen to it first? Do I just ignore everything and read Yoshinori's book? "I… I think…" Dagan eyes scan over me. I am visibly shaking. "I think… Dagan… I think I am one of them… one of the daughters…"

End

Chapter Seven

**Any and all reviews welcomed!**

**I will revise if needed!**

**Next time:** Triangle

**Thank you!**


	8. Triangle

Disclaimer

**Please read: **I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the second Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Eight

Triangle

"_The chains bind them to their beliefs,_

_The ropes tighten them to their deaths,_

_And the beauty of it all lies in the spilling red…"_

My eyes are closed. The sick smell of sweat and stale produce hijacks my senses. I can tell I am still in the Suda Market. The air is so dry. My lips are chapped and I cannot seem to speak or even wake up completely. I stumble to lean up; my eyes never opening. It is slightly warmer than it has been for most of my stay here. The faint and solitary echo of Mika Aragaki enters my ears like she is whispering beside me. I jerk my head to my left and my eyes shoot open. I am quite aware of my surroundings now. I am alone with a note from Dagan taped to my forehead. I cannot believe I had not noticed it before. I laugh and take it from my skin. 'I left you here because you refused to wake up. I can't find what you dropped. The book you held onto is still with you, though. I'm going back to the warehouse. I also gave you more film. I'm running low. Please, be careful… and don't die.'

**Yoshinori's Diary 2:** _"I am to suffer the same fate as Munuta. I will accept it with high honor and dignity. I will die with much grace. It seems Kazua, that is the Master, feels it is my time. When someone is deemed to be a Sacrificed, or a Defaced in actual literary, they may no longer refer to the Master as their Master, or this Village as their Village. Their family and friends are now just passing strangers with tears in their eyes and farewells on the tips of their tongues. I have gleamed for decades upon seeing the Defacement take place. I show my one doubt on Kazua Tanaka's ruling… and I am next in line. I have unfinished business with this place. Let me rest. **1/2** There is a triangle stirring here. I have kept it in my heart for so long, but I fear I have no reason not to speak of it. Please, do not cast down on Mika Aragaki. She has done no wrong. In honesty, I now feel that Miaka Aragaki and Jun Okura are just as innocent. I… I want to say more, but the torches are lit and my funeral music plays… The researcher did not help Miaka escape. She was already gone! I am running out of time. I fear I cannot tell you all I must… … Look beyond the veils and the black hair strewing the eyes… See her face… see it…! Nanako is **2/2**"_

I place the book away from me. I have always known there is more to the story than I heard. It figures greatly that he is cut off just before finishing who the Ohnishi girl truly is. I wonder if the whole village as succumbed to this 'triangle' of young girls? It is clear that Nanako and Jun had an affair. If the outsider, Murrioko, did not take Miaka away to safety, then why is her sister waiting for her? Who did he manage to lead out of the village? It is obviously a child… … Can it be the small girl in the pink kimono? Why will Murrioko save her and not Mika? When did Miaka actually leave? What about Jun and Nanako? I know Nanako Ohnishi has long hair that obstructs her face, and so did Gerald's daughter. Is Yoshinori trying to say that the Ohnishi girl is an outsider as well? No, the Master of the Village would have foreseen that. I am still conflicted with questions. If only I had that stone I lost.

The ritual, or Defacement, is the last thing on my mind at first. It does not dawn on me until after my contradictions about the daughters. Yoshinori mentions the sacrifices, or defacements. I assume this explains the veils and the warped face woman. Can it also explain the faceless memory I have? I have always said that if I can see her face, that I would be able to clearly remember everything that I forgot. I am trapped in this place, though. Will finding my personal demons help any? I've been here too long; so long, in fact, that I have forgotten my own name. Truth is, I remember it when before I splashed that water on my face. The instant I did… all I felt was dark, sorrowful, and angry. Was my life that bad previously? Was it the water or my reflection, even? I only have two books of Yoshinori's. It is obvious that this second one is the last he wrote. I do not worry about finding more. I worry about what is outside of this Market. I leave the desolate place and enter the main path, which is bright like morning!

A white and obstructing fog lingers, but it is a relief to see the sun has set neatly on a far hill near the second part of the village. It is warmer out here than it has been as well. The air smells like fresh flowers and home-cooked food. It is a softer and gentler scent than inside of the Market. I glance over at the Sutuki house. The distortion is gone! I open the door. When I enter I can hear the pink kimono girl whisper, _"You're not my sister!"_ There are a few loud thuds coming from the hallway where I saw Gerald and the dead body of his daughter earlier. My surroundings are not black and white now, so if I am lucky, things will stay in color.

It appears the same way as I left it when Gerald came after me. The first two rooms on my left will not open. Both are locked with a circular keyhole. I move to the next one down. It is not locked. I enter to see a medium room with a dark red silk cushion on the ground near piles and piles of books. This place appears to be a study. Candles for reading are lit and burning brightly. The rest of the study is wooden and rotting away with dust and mold. Only one book is already opened and is not as dusty as the others. I sit on my knees on the silk cushion and I glance at the book. Some of the ink is wet and dripping as I pick it up. Is it a diary of some sort rather than an actual textbook?

**Ijima's Notebook:** _"We moved from our old house recently and into this one. Being near the Ceremony Grounds causes great stress on the children. My wife and I don't have any of our own, but we often house and take in the village kids from time to time. We're like a get-together home. I'm afraid my wife cannot bear children. We've learned to live with this curse. Besides, Nanako and Noriko Ohnishi are the closest things to daughters that we could ask for. The Ohnishi parents are attentive, yes, but hardly around. Sir Ohnishi is a busy Priest and Madame Ohnishi gathers and harvests supplies for the entire village with few help from others. They're such wonderful and close kids. **1/3** Noriko is staying with us for the remainder of her natural life. It seems tragedy has struck the village once again. Her older sister, Nanako, has been missing for a week. Priest Ohnishi refuses to look at his remaining daughter. He cannot bare the pain. Mrs. Ohnishi cannot take care of Noriko herself because of her work. My wife and I will take dear Noriko in as our own. **2/3** It's been a month without trouble for Noriko. She loves the kimono her mom sent her. It is the prettiest of pinks. Mrs. Ohnishi did a wonderful job. However, I do find myself waking up in the middle of the night to the laughter and bellowing of small Noriko. When I go to check on her, she smiles and politely says, 'Sorry, Sir, Nanako and I were just playing.' I am shocked and can only reply with, 'that is alright.' Nanako? It is true that I hear talking from two parties in Noriko's room, but… Nanako? I must look into this! **3/3**"_

The pink kimono girl that I come in contact with must be Noriko Ohnishi. She is dead. I cannot believe that she is killed because she sins, but rather that the Master of the Village ordered every daughter be sacrificed. It makes sense that Nanako is missing. She left when the villagers came for her and Jun Okura. She might have returned. Does this mean that she is alive still? Her ghost is no where to be found. However, the resemblance between Gerald's daughter and Nanako is striking and practically exact, but I never saw either's face. Maybe… Maybe that is why the soft, feminine voice keeps saying that "it hurts because you never see my face. It's me… It's me," and so on. Yoshinori wrote that I need to see it for myself. I want to now. I truly do. If I can see her, then maybe I will know.

When I leave the room I see Noriko's spirit run past me and head to where Gerald used to be near his daughter's dead body. She pulls a string down from the ceiling. A set of stairs reappear. She heads up them without looking back at me. I leave the hallway behind and take chase. I reach the second floor of the Sutuki house. It is fairly simple. A short hallway is ahead of me with various doors on each side. At the end is an open window. Tattered, blue curtains sway hopelessly. I make a few steps forward. I am faced with a door to my left and a door on the other side. I go to the left first. It appears to be a child's room. There are numerous straw dolls and animals covering the floor and the small bedding area. I look around at the other things. There is one partition screen the size of a small child and there is also a paper lamp. The light it casts is slightly red. I pick up the lamp. It is incredibly warm. I almost burn my fingers. Before I drop it I can see a red substance on the paper shade. When it falls blood sprays a little from the impact. Noriko's spirit forms behind me. I can feel her eyes on my back. _"Why are they doing this?"_ When I move to look at her she is gone. I leave the room and enter the door opposite.

This new room is like the other one with the paper shades casting a red light and hundreds of straw dolls cover the floor and bedding area. I thought the Sutuki family only took in Noriko? _"Not your room… not your room…"_ Noriko seems to be scolding me in a growling, childish hiss. I cannot see her anywhere. I leave the room and head further down the hallway. There is another room at my left. I enter casually. Again, this room is much like the other two. I leave and try another door opposite. I get the same result. There is one more door that remains to be checked. It is on my right. I enter to see Noriko's spirit standing amongst an ocean of straw dolls. These ones resemble me. Noriko has her head lowered. She faces the ground. I do nothing but stare at her. I have no clue on how I should react to seeing her standing in a sea of dolls that are crafted like me. Once she takes a small step with her left foot, she pauses. I start to hear a loud heartbeat and what sounds like the squirming of a little girl. The noises are soft at first. They grow greatly in volume as Noriko takes another step. She speeds up the closer she is to getting me. I can hardly bring myself to raise my Camera and kill her, but it is obvious that I must. I need to set her harmful spirit free.

I take a shot before she can grab me. She recants from the close distance and falls on her backside. She sounds like she whimpers for a bit before fading away. The paper lamp's red glow gets more intense as the room becomes increasingly dark and blood starts to fall from cracks in the wall and rise from the ground. Noriko reappears yelling certain things at me like, _"Not your room," "I have to find my sister," _and _"They killed me… Jun and Miaka killed me…"_ I kept snapping photos and dodging her attacks until Noriko's blood-curdling screams dry up the gallons of blood and clear away the red glow. I cannot see her around anymore, but I can still feel her. A piece of paper is on the ground. I will read it later because the heartbeat… is coming from outside of the door.

The door on the left of the hallway is loud with the sound of the thumping heart. I enter to see the blood just starting to creep around on the walls and the floor. The light is red and Noriko seems to be waiting for me in the center of the room. She starts to approach me to attack. I use my Camera to blast her back. She seems to be getting stronger because it takes two more snapshots before she fades away and reappears in another part of the room. I can also feel someone else's presence in the room. They do not feel immediately harmful. I continue moving away from Noriko's attacks and using the Camera on her. A few times she is able to grab hold of me. It hurts pretty badly as it feels like she is literally draining my life. I shake her off and move from her. I keep doing this until she lets out another scream (this time a fainter scream is in the background) and the room clears up. I pick up the paper that is left and save it for later. The heartbeat is coming from another room now.

I go into the room across from me. A few dolls are standing upright and dancing from one foot to the other. Noriko's arms are out like she is imitating a cross. Her head is lowered, but suddenly starts to jerk around and she convulses slightly. I see a faint spirit behind her when I raise my Camera. It is Nanako! Her hair still distorts her face. Nanako's kimono is a light shade of black with a red tie around her waist. However she moves Noriko copies. The dolls do not attack me, but they are distracting. They turn their bodies everywhere I go. They softly chant things at me in a haunting tone. I think they say, _"I killed you. I killed you," _over and over. Noriko's attacks are swifter and stronger. She strikes me easier now. I panic and just start snapping photos whenever I can. It is getting harder to see her now. Sometimes all I get the view off is a dark red spot on my Camera lens where the occasional ghostly face of Jun Okura, Mika Aragaki, and Nanako Ohnishi appear and distract me. I also kick some of the dolls out of my way. They stand right back up. I keep on the move and snap a shot of Noriko when she appears. I keep doing it until the room clears up and the loud screams of Nanako and Noriko happen. I pick up the sheets of paper and leave as the heartbeat is coming from yet another room!

I enter the next left-side room. Noriko waits for me in the center of the bloody room with darkness surrounding her. Nanako is visible behind her without me needing to look through my Camera lens. Half of the dolls in the room are standing like the ones in the other room did. They also bounce from one leg to the other and they watch me no matter where I go. These ones move about the room, though. They don't hurt me, but they often bump into me and purposely try to jump at my face to distract me. Their chanting is louder than before. The distractions of the three faces now occur in plain sight. For instance I think I catch Jun Okura standing in the corner, or Mika Aragaki approaching me from behind. I try and block it all out of my head and focus on Noriko and Nanako. Her attacks are still at the same level as they were in the other room, but now Nanako reaches for me from time to time, and if Noriko grabs a hold of me (which she does twice), Nanako can also choke me. I am exhausted and about to just give up when I fall to the ground and raise my Camera for the last shot I could probably take. The sisters stand over me and are attempting to finish me off when my Camera makes a strange noise. It starts to hum and the circle within the lens glows red. Without any knowledge of what is going on, I snap a photo anywhere. It seems to be a good thing. Noriko and Nanako grab at their faces (where I took the shot) and back away. They scream and disperse into orbs. The room clears up again and more sheets of paper are left. I get to my feet and grab the papers. I have high hopes that it is over with, but before I can start to read the heartbeat comes from the last room. I sigh and head across the hallway.

My strength is waning as I see before me every straw doll that resembles me awake and screaming, _"I killed you, I killed you."_ Their facial expressions are happy at first, but when the door closes behind me they become angry. I do not see Noriko or Nanako anywhere around. This is a blessing in disguise because the straw dolls are attacking me. They bite and pull at me. I raise my Camera and I start snapping photos. It only takes one well-placed shot to exercise the spirits from them, but there are so many! I kick a few away from me and then use the Camera. When the last of them are nothing more but straw shells on the ground I relax. Something is under the bedding. I move the sheets to see it is a small container of some sort of drink. I am dieing of thirst, so without thinking too much of it, I gulp it down. This proves to be highly vital. My strength seems to be returning. I feel much stronger. It is a good thing, too. Noriko appears next to me. Her head is loosely dangling like her neck is broken. She slumps down and onto the floor. _"Nothing… is wrong…"_ She is motionless as Nanako's face presses against mine. I feel her warm breath on my nose. I choke on my own saliva and start to cough. Nanako lifts her head up and begins to laugh hysterically. As I look to the door when Nanako points over to it I see the spirit of Jun Okura and Mika Aragaki coming for Noriko's dead body. They pick her up by the hair and start to drag her out. Nanako grabs me and throws me off of the bedding and onto the ground. I scramble for my Camera as she kneels over me to finish the job. I find it and snap a shot. She falls back and holds her face. I get to my feet and move to the other side of the room where I continue my assault on her. I can get three more photos in before I need to more away before she hits me. I keep dodging and snapping until Nanako's spirit falls to her knees and screams. She does not vanish, however. Instead Nanako gets up and runs out. The heartbeats stop. Something is on the floor. It's a necklace—like the one I got from Mika. Why would Nanako have it? I pick it up. There is a stone dangling from the others. It stands out as a **Crystalline Gem**. I untie it from the necklace (it is being held there by string).

_**Crystalline Gem:** Woman's Voice (sadistic, sometimes sad, warped groans in background): "It was meant to be flawless…! A plan of forever love with just you and me… trapped in our own world… no one else… ever! She had to come back… ruin everything! Her sister now threatens us, my love… Jun… I will do anything for you. Just say the word and I am there… killing…killing for you…"_

**Scraps From Bedroom 1:** _"I won't let them get away with this! I must tell Mister Ijima! **1/2** They know. They know I tell. **2/2**"_

**Scraps From Bedroom 2:** _"Jun threatens me. I tell her she won't get away with this. She says I am just a silly little girl. **1/1**"_

**Scraps From Bedroom 3:** _"Miaka and Mika hunt me down, too. Mister Ijima tells Master Tanaka. The Master goes to Okura home, but Jun is not there. **1/3** Jun tells Priests that I lie and that I sin. They will kill me by noon tomorrow. Mister Ijima tries to help, but everyone sees Miaka and Mika head to the Shibata house and Nanako stays home. Miaka can't be my sister, they say. They say, I lie and I sin… and now I will die…**2/3** Jun has a resembling face to Mika and Miaka. I see Jun kiss Miaka. Nanako does, too… but Nanako, my sister, is missing in the woods… Jun wears black hair at night… Miaka wears long hair… My Nanako is… she is… **3/3**"_

**Scraps From Bedroom 4:** _"… It is my time. The Priests will not let me see Mister Ijima anymore. I must say good-bye to him. I will run to him, if I must. They might catch me, but I have to try… **1/2** As they escort me… they ask, 'What's wrong?' I say… 'Nothing… Nothing's wrong…' Miaka… you can't always be with Jun… and when my sister returns from the woods… They'll know. They ask and I say, 'Nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong…' **2/2**"_

As I let the papers fall from my hands tears roll down my cheeks. I stumble out of the room and down the stairs. I walk the hallway straight through until I come to a door. I look back at the two doors that are locked with a circular shape. Beyond the doors I hear the crying of Noriko. I look away and head on. As I enter the front room I take another look back. My heart starts to pound like the beat I heard upstairs. I approach the front entrance and let my hand rest on the handle. I am torn between feeling sorry for two forbidden lovers persecuted for their feelings… and their slaughtered victims. I can almost see the ache Miaka Aragaki had to go through trying to see Jun Okura without the entire village knowing. Nanako Ohnishi's disappearance into the woods gave the girls an alibi. Mika, loving her sister no matter what, agreed to escort Jun Okura (wearing Miaka's clothes and a black wig) to the Shibata house. It is dark when they go to the schooling house, so no one would see the real difference. Miaka, distorting her face with Nanako's long, black hair, attended her house casually. No one in the village questions Jun Okura's seclusion. After her parents died she had always rarely been seen. And then I remember the '**Regrets'** photo. Did Jun do something to drive them away at first? She killed her brother, I know. What else is there? Why does the spirit of either Nanako or Miaka as Nanako call out for either Jun or Mika to see their face? Who is actually dead by their own hands, someone else's hands, or a part of the Defacement? I open the door, leaving the Sutuki house behind me for now… but bringing the haunt of the maiden triangle with me.

End

Chapter Eight

**Any and all reviews welcomed!**

**I will revise if needed!**

**Next time:** White Face

**Thank you!**

Author's Note

The triangle plot is not yet over. More of the twisted love between Miaka and Jun will emerge, as well as Mika's own role in the Defacement and Massacre of the village, and Nanako's return to see what has happened. Upon discovering that the real Nanako returns, another twist occurs in the triangle plot. Gerald Hemmingway's plot is also still unraveling. The Defacement Ritual is expanding as I write. The details will come about as the character enters more homes of Priests and the second part of the village. I appreciate EVERY review I get. Thank you so much. If you would like me to return the favor, please don't hesitate to ask me!

If there are ANY questions on regarding who wrote a certain text, or whose voice it is on a certain stone, please don't be afraid to ask me. I understand that there is no audio, so you would have to rely on information that I might not have given. So, please ask me. The only thing I would need is for you to tell me what chapter a certain text/stone is, and what the name of it is. If you could also give an estimated location of it, too, that would help. BUT PLEASE, DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK. EVEN I FIND MYSELF LOST AT TIMES, AND I WROTE THIS DAMN THING! Hehe

Chapter Nine is about complete. I warn you now, though… The plot gets more intense and even more twisted. NOW is the time to ask questions. Please, I want you to be able to enjoy this. Don't be confused like I am… hah…


	9. White Face

Disclaimer

**Please read: **I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the second Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Nine

White Face

"_It watches me from a distance,_

_It watches because it is scared,_

_But the distant fear reaches close and I…"_

I look before me. I glance past the Market at my right and the Suda house next to sit. I ignore Yoshiawa's house at my left. I head to the intersecting paths of the village. My surroundings go black and white for a split second as I round the corner to the right. I catch a glimpse of Noriko playing, chasing something. She vanishes quickly, though. The color returns. My heart pounds in my chest as I see something in the distance. My real intent on coming this way is to check out the other houses, the next one being the Ogawa house. However, the object in the distance gets my attention more. I welcome the daylight gladly. Although the fog is still as thick as it ever has been, I can see an outline. It appears to be a man; a _safari-dressed_ man. I call out to this stranger. He looks as though he is entering the Tanaka house. I am about to make my way to him when Gerald's spirit appears at my left. He stands in plain sight of an open window of the Ogawa house. His neck is broken and his head has leaned to one side. Blood drips from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. A rope is around his neck. My camera begins to shake in my hands as I clench it, ready to take a photo if need be. Something begins to happen. No, two things begin to happen. One: the rope is being picked up by a foreign hand. Two: the owner of the hand is a Priest. He yanks on the rope around Gerald's neck, making him violently fall to the floor. I jump back when I hear his body '_bump_' on the ground. I lift the camera up and proceed to take shots of the Priest, still holding onto one end of the rope. He laughs and starts to walk away from the view of the window. I can tell that he does not let go of the rope. Gerald's body is dragging behind him. The Priest and the dragging sound louder and louder as they approach the Ogawa house door. I hear myself unintentionally squeak in strong fear as the door creaks and begins to open. I ready my index finger on the shutter button and count to three has a foot emerges from the opening door. _1…_ I can see the knee…_2…_ I can see the upper-thigh…and finally, _3_…!

Yumi rushes from the Ogawa house bloodied and battered. Sweat drips from her face. She falls at my feet with panic in her grasp as she reaches for me as best as an injured woman can. The door closes on its own and I see Yumi twitch when it creaks and thuds shut. I help her to her feet. I do not know what to say to her. I thought I had seen her being killed in an old warehouse across the village by Jun Okura's spirit. However, here she is before me; a living, breathing, and spitting image of Dagan's right hand girl. She pants while trying to tell me what has happened. I do not boggle her with such questions as what happened to her, where she was, or who hurt her. I boggle myself with these questions. I tear myself up inside. _Look what you've done_, I say in my mind. _Look what you've done. You hurt someone else, now, didn't you? Can't you ever learn to kill right?_ Yumi gets to her knees on her own before I pull her on her feet. She has a hold on my forearms, where as I grab her shoulders to keep her balanced. She looks at me with frightened eyes. No, don't Yumi. I don't want to see you suffer. I don't want to see you in pain. I can't bring myself to look at you… I can't bring myself to help you… _I can't kill right…_

"I kept searching for you!" I exclaimed after she had somewhat gained her composure back. "I was so worried! But, it's alright now. I know you're alive, and I won't let anyone hurt you again!" I hold her in the tightest hug possible. She collapses into my arms. I stay there; so relieved that she did not actually die in the warehouse. I would not be able to live with myself if she had. My dreams will come true? I watch someone die and can only turn away? Am I playing God with people I touch? I am thinking too much into this… It was just a dream, after all… Yumi is here with me now! I wipe some blood from her face after she straightens up a bit. "I was just so worried. I am so happy to see you're okay, now!"

She stares deeply at me. I wanted to smack her; to tell her to stop! I don't want to see her tearing up. I won't want to see her cry now. I can't. She should smile. She is alive. I found her. We are okay! Dagan would be so thrilled, too… but Yumi is seeing things different… I bring myself to—No; I force myself to look at her with as much emotion and feeling as I can. I can see what she is seeing. I can watch it in her eyes like it is a movie playing on the television. Dagan grabs her by the throat. He pushes her down onto the dirt. There are tombstones around. It must be the graveyard. He lifts her up and pulls out a blade. He cuts her multiple times on her body, but mostly the face. With the wounds and the blood dripping from them her face is unrecognizable. He ties a noose in a rope and fastens it to a tree. He moves her body to one of the trees in the graveyard and places the noose around her neck. I want to stop him. I need to stop him, but I can't. He lets go of her body and she is strangled instantly. Her bleeding body dangles there lifeless. Her eyes are still opened, the pupils moving from the left and finally to the right, as if to take one last glance at Dagan. When her eyes close everything goes black. Then Yumi's body is thrown into this black field, descending it like a staircase, all the way down… into the nothing… Finally she splashes into water that runs red. Millions of other bodies appear. Suddenly everything begins to flicker and change. A black and white scene comes on. It shows the bloodied face of a woman that was hung, but I can't tell if it was Yumi or not. The cuts on her forehead bleed out to form the word: "Endless." Then a whisper comes in front of me. Is Yumi talking? No, not Yumi… It's _her…_ My childhood memory… I thought I lost you! You were here after all! I knew it…! What…? Wait…? It's not you…? It's… It's not you? It's not…?

I snap back to reality. The very first thing I notice is how empty I feel. I look into my arms. They are empty. I look into the Ogawa house's window. It is empty. I look at the distance for the figure. All I see is empty. All I feel is empty. Can it be everything I know is empty, too? Am I chasing a dream; an empty childhood memory; one that has no substance here? No, but I saw her. I spoke with her. I held her hand once. She walked me the length of the village. She showed me the rose bushes. She picked me one… one that never withered—even after ten years. It is not empty. It is full of life. I have a purpose here. I will find her… I will see her one last time. I will restore her village… even if it kills me…

"Um…?" A quiet man talking behind me speaks. I quickly turn and take a picture. He raises his arms and cusses at me. He tells that he is not one of the spirits. He is actually a reporter that is supposed to be following Dagan on his quest. After my apology he tells me his name is Lee Hatari. The name does not strike me at first, until I think back on a _yellow rose book_ that I found a while ago. Hatari is the name of one of the outsiders that an acquaintance with Kazua Tanaka head meant. When I ask him about his name, he smiles. "I was here when I was younger." He seems so calm and casual. "I was just a rookie reporter when I meant Mr. Murrioko. Murdock was a great man…" I glare at him.

"_Was_…? He's not dead… He's not…" I now glare away. I turn back to the Ogawa house. I wish so badly to storm off and enter the place. It strikes me as strange that now Yumi would not be here with me. It is chance that I meet Hatari. I long for Yumi to be with me. I know what it means if she had not really been in front of me. My dream… does come true. I see things differently now… My entire world is flipped upside down. I think long and hard about my existence here as a pawn in King Tanaka's chess board as Lee Hatari drabbles on about how much money he will make for his reports. Now it dawns on me… wait, if Hatari was here before, then why is he here now? He isn't a spirit. I took a picture, and the sensor function on my camera is not acting up. I face him once more and begin to poke him.

He becomes confused and requests that I stop, but I don't on his behalf. I stop because things go black and white again. I can faintly hear his mumbling, but I don't see him anymore. I can sense that he blindly chases me as I follow the form of Nanako Ohnishi. I can hear his questions on what is wrong and what am I following. Can't he see her? I can… I follow her as she remains to hold her head down and her hands clasped in each other. She slowly walks around the corner (to the right). Her spirit stops just after the turn. I jog up and find myself only an arm's reach from her. She is mellowing near the Shibata house entrance. I move to get closer when she starts speaking in a low whisper. _"I came home… but everyone… died… but everyone… died…"_ Nanako Ohnishi does not sound like a fierce demon at first, but when everything falls dead quiet she changes her tone. Her voice is like a deep growl; like she has animosity breeding far within her. In the background to her grumbling are the random, faint whispers of a soft, harmonious female's voice. She seems to be talking about Nanako, and how much she loves her, and how they will be together forever. Is the voice…? Jun's? It would be a good guess, but a guess is all the better I could do for now. Nanako is speaking about her return. So… this is the real one?

"_I left you alone… I left you because they would kill us… I didn't kill you… I came back… but everyone… died…"_ A sudden image pops up in my head of the villagers being slaughtered by Mika Aragaki. She is wearing the same kimono as before. Blood splatters as she slashes throats and tears limbs. Every villager she kills makes the red cloud around her bigger and darker. _"We felt like no one would be able to understand us… … No one… I couldn't take you away… Never found another way… I went looking for you… for us… Lost… in the woods…"_ I can see the black and white scenery of the woods near the village. Nanako trudges through. She seems to be frantically searching for something or someone. _"They brought everyone around… told them… told them I am dead… I'm not dead… I came back… I came back to see you… to show you another way… to get you out of here…"_ I can see Nanako Ohnishi holding the hand of her younger sister, Noriko. She walks her to the edge of the village near the Okura house. They stand at the gate. Nanako points outwards and smiles. Noriko claps her hands. Jun watches from her house. _"I wanted to free you… to free you from this…"_ The smiles on Noriko's face are interrupted periodically by flashes of her being dragged and hung. The rope tightens around her neck and her eyes rolls back. Her lifeless body goes into the water and falls with the darkness underneath her.

"_I didn't kill you…I could never kill you…"_ I thought it would be over, but something made the images in my mind seem deceptive. I remember the image I saw that showed Mika Aragaki standing over a dead body with a knife in her hands (_Chapter 3)_. I was the dead body, however I get the same image now, but instead of me being the dead body, there is a girl that resembles Nanako. Her long, black hair covers her face. The image is the same, but the body… what does this mean? _"I felt it… I felt it fall…"_ The darkness to which the waterfall led in the previous images of the Sacrifice is all I can see. Jun Okura's whispers are the only thing left. _"I told you I would wait forever. Always, I said, always I would be here; waiting. But… you never came back… I never saw you… And… everyone had to die… everyone…"_ Nanako speaks at the same time as Jun. Nanako says, "But everyone… died…" And Jun says, _"I killed… them…"_ The last few images are of a woman dressed like I was when I first entered the tunnel (_Chapter 2)_. The villagers bleed below me. I cannot see her face, though. At the other end of the tunnel, a part of the vision I never saw before, is a woman dressed much the same. She has her back turned. When she goes to face the first woman the light from outside creates a large glare. Her face cannot be seen. The blood droplet down the cheek happens one more time, only I can see that it belongs to one of the well-dressed women. Her bloody tear lands on a white rose that she holds. The other woman (which ever one that would be) has her own bloody tear fall, only it falls into the darkness… just like it had when I first experienced the image of the bloody tear. Tomoya Okura's small voice laughs innocently. _"I know where you can hide! No one will ever find you there! Come on!"_

I feel a warm hand on my shoulder and my eyes jerk awake. I can see Nanako's form before me for a few seconds, but it vanishes. I turn around, but no one is there. I am alone again. I call out for Yumi, Dagan, and Lee, but there is no one. I touch where I had felt the hand. There is a small string draped over my shoulder. On one end is a tiny pouch. I open it up to see the **Black Pearl**! I hurry up and dash for the corner that I had come from. I don't see anyone around. Who could have placed it here? Who took it? It must have been Mika, right? _"No one will ever find you!_" I hear the voice of Tomoya once again. I close my eyes and whisper a soft 'thank you' just in case the person is around. I reach to take out my radio and notice something else. A scrapbook is on the ground. It appears to be more from the woman who was trapped here. I still haven't a clue on who she could be.

**Woman's Recollection 4:** _"I lost him, forgot where I put him, never did hide him, and never will find this grave again… No, no… That's not right! It's not right! **1/7** Sometimes…** 2/7** I see the child laugh. Don't remind me. I keep forgetting yOUU… YoUUO…**3/7** Dark, dark, dark into the light… I can see what it looks like. With this light, I can see what the night looks like. Poems… writing never ends… Gone… gone… I'm done…**4/7** Stupid words **5/7** She felt alone, and I took her with me. It's not me… I didn't find you. I lost him again. Along the trail… near the stones… Letters…**6/7** SHUT UP! **7/7**"_

_**Black Pearl:** Woman's Voice (Stiff, sarcastic tone at first, sad, sorrowful tone later, violent background noises): "I knew you would run. You chickened out on me, didn't you! I thought this would happen. You let him get to you, didn't you? Nanako, how could you believe in those twisted words? Was it the school? Tsk, tsk, tsk… Go figure… I knew you would run… leave me here… to die… … … … … … … … … …I miss you…Nanako, I'm sorry… I am sorry for whatever I did that made you run from me… Come back, please? We can make things better… We can leave… TOGETHER this time… or we could die… We could die… If you want to… … … If you want to… I will be waiting. Whatever you want me to do, I will do for you! I-I'm sorry about Noriko… I'm sorry… … She… she had to die, Nanako. She had to! If you love me, then you will forgive me… Why did you run? It's… It's Miaka, isn't it? You… you fell for her, didn't you…? (Changed voice into something sadistic and dark) WELL, IF YOU HADN'T RAN, THIS WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED! NOW EVERYONE'S DEAD!"_

I can only be stunned. Was it really Jun Okura and Nanako having the affair, or was it Miaka and Jun, or even Miaka and Nanako? There seems to be a different angle to all of this. Jun Okura and Miaka Aragaki used Nanako's disappearance to account for their affair, right? However, when Nanako was around Jun Okura and she was a couple. Mika Aragaki walked to the Shibata house with Miaka, only Miaka was actually Jun Okura dressed up. The real Miaka Aragaki was dressed as Nanako Ohnishi and stayed at her home. Noriko knew something was not right. Mika and Miaka vowed to kill and silence her. However, in the spirit stone it seems Jun Okura apologizes to Nanako for Noriko's death. Did the real Nanako and Jun have an affair? I thought for sure that Jun might be naming Nanako to cover up for her lover, Miaka. Now it seems as though she might really be speaking to the real Nanako. I sigh in confusion. The triangle is not as simple as I have thought it to be. Perhaps… Jun didn't know that the fake Nanako was Miaka… Maybe that is why Mika and Miaka were the ones that urged to kill Noriko so fast… Maybe Miaka had always loved Jun… Maybe she made Nanako get lost… And maybe Jun only dressed up as Miaka as a favor for Mika. I hear Gerald bellow back toward the Ogawa house. _"I left her something…!"_ I head back there.

I enter the Ogawa house to see it is a large, one-floor home. When I first step in I see nothing but the rotting wood of the floor and the empty gloom of a spacious room. Some tattered, blue curtains hang down and sway about. Faded rose designs are on them. The roses have since lost their color on the fabric. I am sure it has something to do with the two blue rose books I have found that belong to the Ogawa Priest. It is hard to see anything. I skip over the two small steps that lead to a higher part of the room. They do not serve any purpose, honestly. As I keep walking I get the feeling that there is a pair of mischievous eyes upon me. Occasionally the ghostly giggle of Noriko buzzes in my ear. It is not until I reach the far end of the room that I see my first object: a carving knife. I pick it up. On the blade is a sketch of the Ogawa house stained there in blood. I look up to see that I am near the dine room and kitchen area. I can see the door just before me. On the right wall is an altar/religious room. It spans most of that wall. A prayer/study is closest to the entrance on the left wall. On the right wall is a lone room. It is enormous and says something that I have been wondering about this entire time: the name of the village that I am stuck in. The room…? It's the "Red Village Shrine."

The kitchen and dine refuse to open. After I try the door I hear Noriko's giggles again, only this time they sound like they are coming from within this very house. Everything goes black and white. I panic. I do not know why, but a sudden urge to run comes upon me. Noriko does not stop giggling. I gasp for air, almost like I am drowning. My lungs burn as I make haste for the exit. The door won't budge. A white form pushes straight through the wall. It almost grabs me. It's a spirit, but I cannot tell who it is because it appears to be nothing but a white blur. I can only see bare feet when it steps and bare arms when it reaches for me. I run to the closest door—prayer/study. It opens and I shut it quickly behind me. I lock the door… and realize how stupid that is.

The room is small. A desk built into the wall has an ink feather and some sheets of blank paper on it. A lit candle is on each side of the desk. A portrait of the goddess I saw in the Yoshiawa house is on the wall above it. Piles and piles of sheets of paper are stacked around the rest of the room. All are written on the same kind of paper with the same kind of ink feather. Is this all he did in this room? Nothing else about this prayer/study strikes me as significant until I begin to notice what is _on_ the papers. Poems…? I scam over a few. Most are titled in a different language, and a few written in such, but it is clear they are poems. All of them are either for, or about a woman named Faranika. I look up to the portrait of the goddess. Could this be her name? Suddenly the image of the well-dressed women with the bloody tears comes back to me for a split second. I see the one tear fall to the rose, and the other to the darkness. I snap out of it as something knocks on the door. _"Tetsu…? Are you in there, Tetsu?"_

I yell for the feminine strange to go away! I don't want to be killed. I will not accept my fate anymore. I've come this far. I can find a way out now. I know I can. Things change, though. Gerald's voice mumbles something on the other side of the door. _"Well, it's not in here…"_ I can hear his footsteps walking away. Things are quiet. My camera's sensor function starts to beam with a blue light. I raise it and take a picture of the door. From the door emerges an image of the white-blurry spirit. Its bare arms reach out and its feet step forward. It's the **White Face** photo _(unknown spirit)_. The ghost is gone now. I feel it is safe to leave. I open the door carefully. No one is there except Gerald. He enters the door next to mine, which would be for the altar/religious room. I follow him, although I really want to see the shrine for my own eyes…

I enter the large empty space. It is much like the entrance. The place is dark. It does not just look gloomy; it feels like gloom. It is the word itself. I step in to see nothing but candles on the ground and dangling dolls from the ceilings. The dolls are all dressed like females that could belong to this village. They spaced out and carry name tags. I look to the right of me to see a very big portrait of the goddess. It covers the wall completely. On the far side are rows of windows and more pictures of the goddess. Faded scrolls are near, and through the windows I can see Tanaka house. Everything is black, though. I make my way to the other side of the altar/religious room. Statues are molded throughout the room of the goddess doing different poses. In some she is with children, others with elders, and most lending helping hands to the seemingly blind or deaf. When I reach the far end (to the left of the entrance) I see a large altar. It carries another large portrait of the goddess. Surrounding it are paintings of young women who must have belonged to the village. Their faces are torn, but I can recognize them by the clothes they wear; they are the dolls! _"We live happily ever after…"_ The voice of what seems like thousands of different girls rings behind me. The dolls sway, even though there is no wind. I begin to read their name tags as they fall from the ceiling one by one. The first one starts by the entrance, and then they make their way around the room and back to the altar.

_Jun Okura, Kaname Shibata, Mika Aragaki, Masaki Fukai, Minoru Tsukamoto, Nojima Gyota, Noriko Ohnishi, Nina Tanaka, Koji Raharo, Motori Yamaguchi, _and then the last one… _You_…

I am before the religious altar staring at the collapsed doll that is dressed like me. Its face scratched out. I look up at the portraits. My picture is there. Unlike the rest of the pictures, my face is still there. I feel like suddenly crying. I want to weep out so badly. Why the hell is this going on? What is happening to me? I don't understand! I don't get any of this! A lone text book lies underneath the altar on the ground. I must have overlooked it before. Through grinding teeth I curse a loud this forsaken village and snatch the text up. I flip open to see; not to my surprise, only a few sheets of paper are left. A few have blood smears at the top of the page like someone was bleeding while reading this. I am not concerned. I have seen this before.

**Blue Rose Book 3:**_ "Master Tanaka ordered the Defacement of thirteen daughters. Two of them are missing. They will be Defaced as soon as they return. They cannot make it past the Red Trail. The Red Water runs everywhere this time of the year… this Blood Season… our favorite season… **1/6** While the Church sets up for the Defacing I noticed something out of the ordinary. Now, the Church is always organized and proper; no mistakes, not one imperfection at all. However, while gathering the ropes I noticed the strange number of them. There was one extra. Thinking it was a senile mistake made by one of our elder Priests, I take it to Master Tanaka. He blesses every rope before they are used. Could he have missed this? I doubted it. When I question him, his face becomes red and swollen. He cursed me and snatched it from my hands. He mumbled something. I turned away. It is not my business. I will ask for forgiveness from our Red Goddess. I have angered our Master…**2/6** _ (Page is blank. There are ink and blood smears.) _**3/6** I'm glad he forgave me for angering him. I am honored that he trusted me with---_(Smears)** _4/6_** (Blotches and smears all over) _**5/6 **I found her. It seems upon coming back someone kept her locked in the lighthouse. Who would have the key? Miyamoto Okura died. He was the Keeper Priest. He had all access to the lighthouse and Red Trail… … … Could it be… that sh---_ (Smears)**_ 6/6_**

I hear fast approaching footsteps on this wood floor. They are coming at me! _Thud, thud, thud… THUD, THUD, THUD! _I turn quickly from reading the book. As I look I hear the glass-shattering screech of someone in pain and the sudden face of someone. For an instant they might have looked like me! I think they are going to hit me, so I raise my arms up, shout 'no!', and close my eyes. I am thrown back onto my side. My head hits off of the ground. Blood trickles out of my mouth as my eyes cannot seem to focus. I didn't feel being thrown back until now. I get the sharp pain of my body jerking. I get the throbbing stab of my head meeting with the hard wood floor. I can smell the fresh drip from my nose. The red… the red falls to the ground… I can see the black… I can almost grab the rose… Am I alone? No, _she_ is over me… watching… making sure I get out… I get out… I get out… that I… _"Miaka? Miaka, where are you? I've been looking everywhere for you!"_ I hear Mika's voice. She is warm. She is not mad at me. Wait… Miaka…? That's not me… It's not…_"Miaka, why are you dressed like that…? We have to go to school. Come on, now, hurry up! Miaka…? Miaka…? Miaka…"_ Her voice turns frantic. I can almost see her face… almost… Mika… lean in closer… _"Miaka, what is that! What's going on! What's happening! Miaka…! MIAKA!"_ My head shifts and my eyes start to focus. I can see a white light at first. Then the white decreases in size. It shows the white-blurry spirit. I snap out of my trance quickly and start to crawl back away. I can see it is on hands and knees crawling after me. It extends a hand and latches onto my ankle. I hear a whispering female voice: _"It only hurts… because you can't see my face…"_ I kick her hand away because of the burning feel. She falls back. I make a dash for the door. All of the dolls now have white paint over their faces. I look back at the portraits and can see mine has started to tear away. Does it mean something? I leave the room as the white blurry spirit starts to come for me.

I see Gerald's spirit going for the Red Village Shrine. He stops just short of the door. He looks at me. He sees me. I can feel it! I freeze instantly. He looks down at the ground. _"I know where I left it now…"_ He enters the Shrine room. I go to head for him. Something is on the door. It is a mirror. At first I think nothing of it, but when I go to grab for the doorknob I see my reflection. My face… it's a blurry, white mess! And the white-blurry spirit walks out of the door. She appears almost normal. I can see her face if she was a bit closer! I turn around. No one is there. I look back at the mirror. My face is back to the way it was before. I grab at it. I listen to Gerald's weeping from beyond the door. I weep along with him while grabbing at my facial features. Who am I? I'm in so much pain… It hurts… What am I doing here…? This village is just like an empty, black canvas without people… and I am the lone creature… a creature without a name, just a face… Just a white face in a dark, dark place…

End

Chapter Nine

**Any and all reviews welcomed!**

**I will revise if needed!**

**Next time:** All of the Lonely Roses

**Thank you!**

Author's Note

Here is the rundown, chapter-by-chapter of the text/stones. Please understand that not all of the identities are exposed as of yet: in example—every one of the **Woman's Recollection** texts, alright? Answers to review questions are located below the texts/stones.

Chapter One: **Texts**—Woman's Recollection 1 (not known), Woman's Recollection 2 (not known) **Stones—**(none)

Chapter Two: **Texts**—(none) **Stones**—Pink Crystal (a male villager), Blue Gem (Tomoya Okura), Blood Red Rock (Mika Aragaki)

Chapter Three: **Texts**—Yellow Rose Book 1 (Kaname Shibata), Yellow Rose Book 2 (Kaname Shibata) **Stones**—(none)

Chapter Four: **Texts**—Woman's Recollection 3 (not known), Red Rose Book 1 (Jun Okura), Monroe Accounts 1 (Murdock Murrioko), Jun's Note (Jun Okura) **Stones**—Blue Crystal (Miaka Aragaki/Nanako Ohnishi), Rough Cut Ruby (Tomoya Okura), Turquoise Gem (Tomoya Okura)

Chapter Five: **Texts**—Monroe Accounts 2 (Murdock Murrioko)** Stones**—Lazulite (Gerald Hemmingway), Blood Red Chrysolla (Jun Okura)

Chapter Six: **Texts**—Unknown 1 (Suke Aragaki), Unknown 2 (Suke Aragaki), Unknown 3 (Suke Aragaki), Newspaper Clipping (the, uh, newspaper!), Blue Rose Book 1 (Tetsu Ogawa), **Stones**—Emerald, Small (Suke Aragaki)

Chapter Seven: **Texts**—Yoshinori's Diary 1 (Yoshinori Suda), Blue Rose Book 2 (Tetsu Ogawa) **Stones**—Faintly Glowing Gem (Yoshinori Suda)

Chapter Eight: **Texts**—Yoshinori's Diary 2 (Yoshinori Suda), Ijima's Notebook (Ijima Sutuki), Scraps From Bedroom 1 (Noriko Ohnishi), Scraps From Bedroom 2 (Noriko Ohnishi), Scraps From Bedroom 3 (Noriko Ohnishi), Scraps From Bedroom 4 (Noriko Ohnishi) **Stones**—Crystalline Gem (Miaka Aragaki)

Chapter Nine: **Texts**—Woman's Recollection 4 (not known), Blue Rose Book 3 (Tetsu Ogawa) **Stones**—Black Pearl (Jun Okura)

I hope this helped some. I welcome any questions about the story, too. I will answer as best that I can.

I have looked over the reviews and see that I did receive some questions! Here we go:

**Fallen Akaichou—**The writer of the recollections is not yet revealed. The Tanaka house will be featured in either chapter ten or eleven. The Yellow Rose Book was written by someone who took care of Nina. Nina is, of course, the Tanaka daughter. That plot will be explored then.

**Eternal Memories—**You really want to know where I get the names? Haha, look at the credits for Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, Silent Hill 4, and Resident Evil 4. I get the Japanese names from the creators… haha… Nice, huh?

**Sin—**The Triangle plot is still be uncovered, as depicted in this chapter. I don't really want to give anything away, nor do I really want the character to discover everything all in one chapter. Who knows? Maybe the Triangle's twists will end in the last chapter? Or maybe the sequel? Hah, I like suspense, mystery, and a sense of uncomfortable aloneness. It's a favorite mood!

**RottenDarkness—**If you would like me to check out any of your work, please let me know. I would be honored, too!


	10. All of the Lonely Roses, Part One

Disclaimer

**Please read: **I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the second Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Ten

All of the Lonely Roses

Part One

Once You Get Your Hands on You

"_The thorns cannot prick their hands,_

_And the thorns cannot draw their blood,_

_It is their blood that draws the thorns in their hands…"_

The Red Village Shrine is a strange place, indeed. Upon entering I get the strong scent of vanilla and roses. The air is nothing more but a brisk cold on my exposed flesh. I see the floor is made of a glassy, clear tile. Underneath it runs a flow of red water. Is it blood? I cannot fathom such a thing would reside under a seemingly religious house, but then again this religion is certainly a twisted one. Perhaps having a river of blood forever running underneath your house is a good, saintly thing? In front of me is a wall of portraits and paintings. Most depict the seven Priests and certain areas in the village that are of importance. To my right is a display of hundreds of different types of ropes. Every one of them is labeled. To the left is a very dark area. I believe I can see a red door with the religious symbol on it. Candles are lit near it, burning the vanilla scent that I can smell so well here. Their lighting is not very good, however. It is almost like they only mean to show me the part of the door with the symbol. It is just so eerie.

I head to the rope display first. There may be hundreds of ropes here, but only ten different kinds. The labels are at the bottom where brass statues of a woman's bust hold lit candles burning the vanilla scent. The woman resembles the goddess that I have seen so often. Every type of rope has a short description of the sin that has been committed, letting the Priest know which the right rope to use is. It is written is another language, but I can decipher it for the most part. _"Amelia Complex"_ rope: A sinful love affair has been produced. It is either of the wrong interest of the soul, or the unfaithful heart of the soul. _"The On slaughter"_ rope: One or more murderous intentions from one soul to the other; the killing of fellow souls. _"Marian's Flaw"_ rope: The greed of one soul's riches, possessions (envy); taking from the hungriest souls (gluttony); keeping from others what one soul could give. _"Lineage Disgrace"_ rope: The defaming/blotching of one's family, whether be it by name or word of mouth; disgracing one soul's family by sinning. _"Günter Complex"_ rope: A rage in a soul; hate. _"Cutter's Tongue"_ rope: Deceptive, defilement, lying; telling a lie. _"The Red Word"_ rope: A soul has spoken to a Priest in veil. _"Defacing Hands" _rope: A soul has stolen; theft of someone else's property. _"Blood in the Sound" _rope: The telling of secrets; the keeping of secrets; espionage; a soul is entering another's life without permission. _"White Face"_ rope: A Defaced soul; the committing of every sin.

After I read over the last rope I can hear Noriko's voice behind me. She is soft. _"It hurts… It only hurts…"_ Nanako finished her sentence. _"…because you never see my face…"_ I turn around. I aim my flashlight around. Everything is still except the flowing red under the glass floor. I walk to the other side of the shrine. The portraits are next to me. A few show the gates in the village. There are about six or so. There are seven Priests. Their pictures and names are on the wall as well. They are: Miyamoto Okura, Kazame Shimo, Hiroki Yoshiawa, Ijima Sutuki, Tetsu Ogawa, Hiyachi Ohnishi, and Sugimoto Kawamori. Every one is wearing their veils and robes in their pictures. I can't really see their faces. Another portrait shows the Red Water that runs along a Shrine Gate. A part of me already knows that this Red Village Shrine is not the 'official' one. Beyond the second half of the village, which I have yet to enter, is something else… a large tower or something. Perhaps it is the church. I stand before the dimly lit door with the religious symbol. The candles burn out as I touch the doorknob. It's so cold; too cold. My camera and my flashlight both start to act up as I get the fast, flashing images of Nanako's speech (_Chapter 9)_ and the bloody tears, one landing in the darkness and the other on a white rose, (_Chapter 9)_. Something… is behind this door…

When I open the door I can see a tide of red water coming straight for me! I try to scream, but I inhale the liquid. It covers and consumes me. I am engulfed in it completely. It fills the room, it fills my mind. I float around, or at least I feel like I do. My eyes will not open. I keep trying to scream, but nothing happens. My mouth doesn't move. This is… this is a dream. I can't feel anything. I try to move my arms to find the surface, but they just loosely flap in the force of the flowing red. I'm not in the room anymore. I am somewhere else; somewhere darker. It's the black… I am beneath the surface, deep down, somewhere inside of my mind. Gerald's lone cries echo against the force of nature. The rushing water in my ear is hollow. His voice empties it with every shout for his daughter… He calls to me… Calling me, I say… It's not me… It's not… Her name isn't Nanako. He's not calling for her. I struggle to move away from the noise that crawls deep within my head… _I want to crawl inside your head… and eat my way out_… No, I repeat… It's not me…! Why do I always wake-up here? I don't this time. I can't kill right. If only she hadn't ran… If only… _But everyone… died…_ The twitching of my eyelids possesses me to swim back to reality. I awake to the echo of my rambling nonsense in this red water. My lung burns with a piercing sting. My eyes shoot open and I bit my upper lip. I look straight up and try to find air. I make it to the top only to hit my head on the ceiling. I push to try and make it go away. I look for the door that I opened to cause this rush of red water. I swim through to see the closet-size room. A black bag dances in the current as I get near. I snatch it and aim my eyes upward. There are glistening lights and moving ripples. SURFACE! I take the bag with me and go up. My head rises above the water. I can smell the scent of vanilla here, too, but the heavy odor of blood is all around me even after I plug my nose. I wipe my face clear of all that I can. It looks like a narrow walkway is before me. I climb out of the water and onto a dark hallway. I open the bag.

**Blue Rose Book 4:** _"My mistake was not letting the extra rope into the bag… it was telling Master Tanaka about it… I am now under the eyes of a cloaked stranger… A veiled creature of Siren Voice and Satan Heart… I would never tell anyone else…** 1/2** He will decide my fate… Although I love and cherish the Master, the village, and the rituals with everything I have to give to the Goddess… I cannot be sacrificed… not like this… They will have to catch me first. I will be a coward. I will run. If that means I may still live without ever needing to face what those poor daughters went through, I can bear the embarrassment… Please…**2/2**"_

I reach deeper into the bag. Something pricks me. I pull out my hand to see that I am bleeding. It is not serious. I look in and retrieve a very old rope. It is weathered and discolored. I can see red stains all over it. It has to be blood. I hear the warped whisper of Priest Ogawa. I glance up to see his spirit limping down the dark hallway away from me. _"I didn't know… I never knew…"_ I drop the rope and the book and pick up my camera to take a picture. I've acquired the **'Priest Ogawa: Wound'** photo (_Priest Ogawa suffers an injury to the leg while trying to escape his house)_. I place the rope back into the bag along with the book. I take it with me and start to head down the dark hallway. Things are quiet until I notice his spirit again after I round the first right corner. I take a snapshot and acquire the **'Priest Ogawa: Close'** photo _(Priest Ogawa is nearing the secret exit from his house; ready to flee the village)_. There are a about two more sharp turns that wind to the left and right before I get the whiff of a floral scent. A very bright light comes from what might be the end of the hallway. I get the images from the white face spirit and the bloody tears on the rose and into the darkness once again. When I snap back to the real world I can see Priest Ogawa standing before me. His neck is broken and his head tilts to one side. His face is bloodied with the word 'Endless' spelling out in the forehead wounds. He does not wear his robe anymore. He is actually dressed much like a poor peasant. When he feels like reaching out for me, I snap a picture quickly. I acquire the **'Priest Ogawa: Defaced'** photo (_Priest Ogawa has become one of the Defaced; Sacrificed villagers due to his mysterious actions)_.

His spirit turns harmful suddenly. He wretches at my throat and I struggle to keep him away. I remove his tough grasp from my neck and manage to back up from him. Ogawa's spirit raises his hands like someone shined a bright light in his face. He vanishes and reappears behind me. I waste no time in turning around and using my camera on him. One shot is not enough. He keeps advancing and manages to get another pull at my flesh. By this time I am frustrated. It hurts so badly, but yet I resist in feeling the pain. I don't get it. What is keeping me from acknowledging my wounds? After he vanishes once more in the same strange manner I make a dash for the bright light. As I enter it suddenly starts to sting my eyes. I recant in the same way as Ogawa has. I can't leave the hallway yet? He appears from the other side of the white and emerges with vengeance against me. He pushes and hits me. I can feel it now… I scream slightly and raise the camera. I take about three shots; walking backwards as fast as I can to keep from injury between reloading. After a while his ghostly self falls to its second death. The horrid groaning makes me hair stand on end. He screeches for forgiveness and sanctuary. After his spirit fades, I hear his calm whisper one last time… as if he was still an honorable Priest. _"I keep with me the Blue Rose, engulfing its veins in sorrow; I dress myself in sympathy from head to toe, knowing there might never be another tomorrow…"_ A blue rose is left where he vanished. It glows with a blue distortion. I snap a photo. It isn't anything real special. It just looks like the photo I took before that showed the lock doors in the Yoshiawa house and had the faint roses in the back ground, only now one of them is animated. Does this mean that I need to collect all seven roses, place them in the vases upstairs of the Yoshiawa house, and then the basement door will unlock? Sounds easy enough, right?

The white at the end of the hallway has dimmed to a black and white exit. I approach it. As I stand near admiring the ancient beauty of the dull colors I can hear the voice of a young woman calling after "Nina." There is laughter, but suddenly a very overbearing gargle silences the happiness. Afterwards is the whimpering of the woman and the scoffing of a stern man. I push one hand through the black and white exit. It loses its flesh tone and turns sort of grey. I pull it out and examine it. It has the color back. Nothing seems to be wrong with it. I can hear footsteps behind me. I look back to see that from the dark hallway are a pair of opened hands coming at me, and a pale face. In fact, the face is completely white. It's the white face spirit again. She approaches me. I freeze in fear. I am so stupid. How can I possibly clam up at a time like this? She leans close to me. Through the white is a blurry distortion at her face. It's her! It is her! _"… No, it's not me… It's not! It's not! SHUT UP!" _What…? It has to be… it cannot be her… It's you! You… don't remember me, do you…? As her cold breath feeds my face she lifts her hands to run her fingers over me. She gently graces my hair and my shoulders. Suddenly a bloodied and mangled head pushes through the blurry distortion and the white surrounding it and proceeds to scream at me. It is such a loud, high pitch scream, that my heart beat changes. I cripple in pain. Without realizing it, the deformed head retreats back into the distortion and the hands push me through the back and white exit… I felt everything—everything like the pain, the sorrow, empathy, smiles, hunger, the red water on my back… everything… except the memory…

When I open my eyes I can immediately tell that I am not myself. I feel very different. My clothes are a faint yellow kimono with exceptionally long sleeves and very beautiful rose patterns at the bottom. They are pink, actually. Even though the world is black and white, something in me knows they are pink. My socks are white and my sandals are a deep, full brown. I have long, black hair that I often pull up into a braided ponytail. I let two strands just before my ears hang down. My narrow eyes are a brown to match my shoes. My height is not very tall. My weight matches my height perfectly. I have a kind sense of humor, a rich sarcasm, and a grinning face. My family is one of high honors. My father, Akao Shibata, teaches the children of the village. My mother use to, but she died in child birth while having my little brother, Alsuo. I take care of the Master of the Village's daughter, Nina Tanaka. Master Tanaka pays me well. I am happy to work for him. It is not about the money at all. Nina… she's so precious to me…! Like my very own daughter! I… am, of course, Kaname Shibata.

I am just outside of the Tanaka house. I enter without needing to knock. As soon as I step in, even before I get the chance to look at my surroundings I notice the bleeding body of Nina Tanaka on the ground. A dripping blood trail leads away from her lifeless corpse. Her throat has been slashed. This… doesn't make any sense. She was Defaced, wasn't she? Why is she murdered on the ground? I follow with my eyes the blood drippings on the wood floor. They lead away. I see a pair of bare feet. I start to look up. There is the blade of a knife in someone's bloody hands. They have bare legs, too. Before I can look up any further to see who has killed my precious Nina I feel my back stinging. I look down and my stomach is bleeding. It spreads on my kimono. My eyes roll into the back of my head as I slump down to my knees, dying painlessly. I cannot think of myself now! My Nina… … I think her eyes are open… Is she still alive…! I reach my hand for her… I think she may reach for me, too… Wait, why are my eyes closing…? Why do I feel so weak and powerless…? Oh, yeah, that's right… … I'm dead…

The Tanaka house is behind me. I am leaning against the door, actually. I awake as myself to the slapping of my face. "… Hmm…?"

Dagan throws some film on my lap. "You should really stop sleeping on the job!" He laughs.

"Who is Lee Hatari?" I ask him without knowing that it might strike a nerve. Hatari is one of the outsiders that came to the village with Dagan's father. I understand that this might hurt him. So I quickly say something else. "That Nanako girl returned after the death of her lover…"

He shrugged. "You don't need to pretend that nothing is wrong."

"_Nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong…" _The whispering chant of Noriko echoes in my mind.

I glare up at Dagan. "I'm not the one pretending…"

He threw a purple stone at me and a black-covered book. He shakes his head and starts to walk off into the afternoon fog. He mumbles something about checking out the other side of the village, and that I should keep looking for clues here. I can catch his final words being something about never finding a way out and winding up dead sooner of later just like the rest of his team. Does this mean he found Yumi and the others? I take the purple stone from my lap and look at it. I don't know what type of gem this is, but its shine is really pretty. The black-covered book does not look very old at all. It has to be newer than this village. It has to be! Before I listen to the stone and read the book I look hard at Dagan's shadowy form disappearing in the fog as he heads away. His father is dead. He knows now. I don't regret saying what I said to him. I regret that it hurt him, but nothing more than that. It will only keep haunting and hurting him if he keeps acting like it's not true. He lives in a dream world. We're not immortal, Dagan. We can die.

**Woman's Recollection 5:** _"I'm still trapped here… everything's dark… everything's dark… darker than the woods… darker than the waters… darker than the face that keeps me here… regardless of my cornfield, I am not here for the wooden tables…**1/8** Second time this year… speaking with her like I know… like I was here…**2/8 **He keeps me…**3/8** NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE…**4/8** They drained that red water… the water that was keeping me here… no more faces… no more lights… the garden of my mind… blood… SHUT UP!** 5/8** …**6/8** …He came back, you, know? He didn't take me, saying I was too weak, too tired. IT'S NOT TRUE! I'm alive… living in you, Brianna… **7/8** THIS IS THE LAST TIME I EVER TAKE ADVICE FROM YOU! YOU CAN'T EVEN KILL RIGHT! KILL ME! KILL ME! **8/8**_

_**Purple Stone:** (Familiar, female voice, sounds insecure and frightened of her own shadow, background of running water and screams): "I want to crawl into your head… inside of your skull and your mind… and endlessly try to eat my way out… clawing at your every thought, reminding you every time you screw up! You… You can't even kill right! What is WRONG with you? They will find us… shut up… shut up…They know your face… shut up… Once you get your hands on you… everything ends… shut up, shut up, shut up… and everyone dies… SHUT UP! IT'S NOT ME! The blood comes over the railing, over the bridge… The river is drowning him… He WANTED to kill me…He should have when he had the chance to…Villagers are… calling my name… Brianna…" (An overlapping voice (Gerald's?): "Brianna… SHUT UP! IT'S NOT ME! IT'S NOT!"_

Oh, my… I let the stone and the book fall from my trembling hands. It isn't by choice. I am so powerless against my reactions right now. That writing… and that voice… it's mine… It's mine! It's me! IT'S ME! I scream for Dagan. I start to run away from the Tanaka house, pass the Shibata house; I round a corner and pass the warehouse and the many empty houses. I keep running. There is the lonely cemetery that whispers my name…_ Brianna… Brianna…_ The world goes black and white as I stop just short of a wooden bridge. Gerald's spirit stands before me. His neck is broken and hangs to the side like the others. The bloodied face is marred by the word 'Endless' bleeding out on his forehead. I gasp with tears down my eyes. _"I left her something… I left her a name… A name I always wanted to give…"_ I look behind me by matter of instinct. I see the giggling spirit of Noriko. She smiles. _"I told you I bet you couldn't guess who I am!"_ I shake my head and I actually talk back to the spirits. "I'm not you…" Noriko keeps giggling. _"And I'm not you…so let me go… let me go… please…"_ Her voice turns from happy to more of a begging whine. I sink to my knees. Who am I?

Gerald's spirit groans in pain. I force myself to look up at him. I can tell he is crying. His thick tears start to make clear lines on his red face. I try to tell him that I am sorry; that I don't know who his daughter is; that I have no idea what is going on, but the only thing I can do is cry… cry, cry, cry. Why would I cry for someone I don't even know… Wait… I do know him, don't I…?Noriko's throat starts to bleed from might looks like a slash. She grabs at her neck and starts to sink to her knees. I stand up immediately and back away. Mika Aragaki stands behind her with a large blade. She scowls at me. _"Can't you even kill right?"_ I look to Gerald's spirit hoping for anything helpful. What is she accusing me of? Gerald just stands there watching Noriko bleed out on the ground. I can see his twitching eyes trying to focus on her. He falls to his knees much like I did mine earlier. His spirit seems to be too busy weeping to care much about anything. Noriko isn't Gerald's daughter. Why would these two be here at the same time…? Noriko's eyes struggle to catch mine. She speaks through a gargle of bloodied words. _"I tried to tell him… tell everybody…Nanako… she's… she's still alive…I even told Jun… She… she killed everybody… … I'm sorry…I'm sorry…!"_ Noriko's spirit 'died' before my very stunned self. Mika Aragaki laughs manically nonstop. She steps over and on her body. _"She honestly thought people would believe her over me!"_ Mika gets very close to me. Her ghostly blade nears me. Something is off with this. Mika… she doesn't look like a spirit. She is not transparent and her eyes… It's like there is a soul in there… I can feel her warm breath on my face and I can feel the tip of the blade as she touches it against my throat. That's right… we aren't living in a dream world. We can die.

While Mika takes pleasure in slowly pushing the blade into my throat I slowly reach for my Camera. My eyes look over to Gerald quickly. He is still crying into his open palms. I can still hear him mentioning what he left for his daughter. I can feel the cold material of the camera at my finger tips, then my whole fingers, then the inside of my hands. Once I get my hands on the camera, I clench it, kick Mika away and take a picture. The flash was so bright, even I was affected by it, however, things aren't what I expected afterwards. The flash brought the color back to the world, took away Gerald and Noriko's spirits, but Mika Aragaki is standing right before me. She rubs her eyes and laughs. What…? I don't get it? Once the film loads and she starts to walk after me again I take another, and another after that. She laughs and blinks her eyes a bit; just like any _normal_ person would do. I start to panic. I make haste for any safe shelter. The closest building I can enter is the warehouse…

I head in to see it appears the same way it had when I saw it in the vision where Yumi was hung. There is a board to bar the door from the inside. I did so. The only thing Mika Aragaki really does is continuously knock on the door. She nicely pleads for me to open it; that she only wants to talk; she won't hurt me. I ignore her and slowly walk. The floor boards sing underneath my steps. I wince and twitch in fear. I can hear the frustrated grunts and mumbles of a young girl. She doesn't sound much younger than me, if at all younger. It almost sounds like she is writing feverishly on paper, scribbling, crinkling, and cussing at whatever she writes. A few paper wads are thrown and barely miss me. I can see her bare back and her bare legs. She is sitting Indian-style, facing the other way, writing stuff in various books and on sheets of paper. Her hair is much like mine, only messier (knotted, frizzy). This stranger does appear to be without clothing. She must be freezing! I start to walk closer. When a loud creak from a floor board calls throughout the warehouse her movement and grumbling immediately stops. I am about to say something when she turns her head. It's all blurry! Suddenly Jun Okura creeps from the darkness behind me. I can hear Mika's laughter. Jun holds a rope in her hands, the noose already tied for me. The blurry-faced girl turns back to writing. Why won't she help me? I close my eyes. Just do it, Jun… just do it… I feel the pricks from the straw of the rope as she places it around my neck. I swallow my pride and I don't try to struggle.

"_Once you get your hands on you… you will know…"_ My voice comes from the direction of the blurry-faced girl. My eyes open. Wait… Why am I giving up now…? My fists clench, but Jun whispers into my ear, _"This is endless… for the dead… This is what happens when break promises… when you can't kill right… when you don't even know who you are… It's an endless pit of black… They take away your friends… your family… your name AND your face… I trusted you…to come back… to save us…"_ The blurry-faced girl continues writing, but she starts speaking out loud. _"SHUT UP! I didn't promise! It's not me that promised you! It's not…! He brought me here! It's not my fault he wanted to kill me…"_ I look down at the ground. Gerald…? It's about Gerald, isn't it? My head stings with memories. I can see through someone's eyes being walked through the woods holding Gerald's hand, seeing a village, seeing red waters and reflections, seeing angry villagers, seeing more waters with more faces, bloodied faces, roses without pedals, bloody tears taking away the pedals as they fall… everything flashes so fast… I hardly have time to get any detail or information about what I see. However, something starts flashing up in my mind that is very clear.

What looks like Nanako (or could even be Miaka in disguise) and Jun sit in front of a little girl (resembling me at that age) and Gerald. They sit in the same location that I saw Nanako and Jun sitting when the villagers came and took Jun away. The lips move, but the blurry-faced girl voices what they say for me. Jun glares down at the village. _"They don't like outsiders… so, we will meet here, ok?"_ The little girl smiles. Gerald nods. _"I will have a ride waiting for us. We'll be here."_ Nanako looks down at the little girl. I see things through the girl's eyes. Nanako grins. She whispers, _"I appreciate you doing this for me. I'm glad we meant. I'm glad I got to show you the streams, the woods, my village, but most of all… the roses."_ She hands a beautiful rose to the girl. The little girl gives her a small stone in return. It looks like her eye color (_mint green_). Everyone seems happy and laughs, but the images change. I can see the kidnapping of Jun and the fleeing of Nanako once more. This time I notice Gerald running up to the gate seconds after Nanako did. He grabs her. She doesn't want to leave, but he insists they can return for her later. He heads down the trail and moments later they approach an old vehicle. The little girl asks the sobbing Nanako where Jun is. Gerald says they have to get her some other time. The little girl shook her head and she runs off into the woods. She starts to head, not by the trail into the village, but by using the woods. Nanako showed her many different paths. _"One day, when my sister is old enough, I will show her, too. And you both can play for hours…"_ The girl is close to the village when villagers show up. She ducks behind some brush. A priest (Ogawa) spots her instantly. He goes over and yanks her from the hiding place. The rose Nanako gave her falls. She goes to keep it from getting away, but the rose head breaks off. The priest carries her away with the villagers looking on…

Things change to seeing Noriko picking up flowers (_Chapter One)_ beyond a long bridge. She was picking them near the cemetery of All God's. When believing her sister was dead, she placed flowers on her grave everyday. Nanako was to be buried in All God's because the Red's cemetery is for Defaced only. I don't know why I know this… but I do… I can see the mint green gem on her neck. Things cut to me tripping and unburying that rose head (_Chapter One)_. Everything… is making sense now… right? The final image is of Gerald aimlessly wandering the village. _"I told her not to come back… Where is she…?"_ I see the black emptiness again. A bloody tear falls. I hear a familiar phrase… I whisper right along with it… _"It only hurts… because you never see my face…"_

My senses return. I am leaned against the warehouse wall. A red rose is on the ground. There is a blue distortion around it. I take a picture. I see the photo like I did earlier, only now two roses are animated with color. In the place where the blurry-faced girl sat are a bunch of books and scattered pieces of paper. Is she the one writing the recollections? I look through them all, but everything is blank. She must scatter the ones she writes on throughout the village, comes back here, and writes more down… I rub my neck. Yeah, it burns a little, but I'm not bleeding or anything. I remove my hand from my throat. The burning left my throat and is sticking to my hand. I look at my palm. A bloodied face protrudes from my palm. I shake it and start to smack it off the ground. I look back at it. It's normal. There is some knocking on the warehouse door. I can hear laughter from beyond it. It's Mika most likely, but I hear the blurry-faced girl in my mind. _"You will know… You will know…"_

End

Chapter Ten

**Any and all reviews welcomed!**

**I will revise if needed!**

**Next time:** Part Two

**Thank you!**

Author's Note

Yeah, that update took longer than expected, however, look at the content of the chapter! I hard such a hard time making this one what I had in mind. It still didn't turn out right. I apologize if it's not like any of my other chapters. I tried to make it good. I am happy with the results, though. Can you believe I actually finished this last week, read over it twice, deleted all of it, and took the rest of the days that I could spare making it again? This one is meant to be confusing, by the way. lol.

Any questions?


	11. All of the Lonely Roses, Part Two

Disclaimer

**Please read: **I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the second Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Eleven

All of the Lonely Roses

Part Two

Bitter Stems in Bitter Families

"_The thorns cannot prick their hands,_

_And the thorns cannot draw their blood,_

_It is their blood that draws the thorns in their hands…"_

When I open the warehouse door, I am not faced with the outside world anymore. It is a black and white parody of the Tanaka house. I can see the main room as I did before when I saw things as Kaname. There is no blood or anything. Things seem to be free of death for now. Nina runs past me as I stand at the entrance. She has the largest smile on her face possible. Where is she going to? I peek around the corner to see her father kneeling with some prayer beads. There is a partition screen separating him from my view, but he casts a shadow on the wall and a silhouette through the screen. He softly asks of good things from his goddess before turning his attention to his daughter who waits patiently on the other side of the screen.

"Nina…" He shakes his head. He does seem slightly irked.

She laughs. "Kaname says she's going to make me a doll!"

Kazua nods and places his prayer beads on the ground on something raised (probably a pillow). I can't be for sure through the partition screen. He gets up and walks around to her side of the screen. He kneels to her and sits her on his lap. "Did I ever tell you about the Red Prayers?" Nina is at a loss of words. She does not seem to have a clue what he's talking about, and neither do I. "Well…" He clears his throat for a moment. "The Red Prayers, Nina, are special prayers that only a select few in our village ever get to make. These prayers are the ones that the goddess hears first and foremost, because they are from people she selected at birth. You'll only know if, and when, you're a Red Child if she visits you on your fifteenth birthday."

Nina scowls. "Am I a Red Child?"

"I've asked her many times before you were born to make you one. I only wanted you to be happy, Nina…" His eyes glare up, and it's as if he can see me. I back away with a gasp as he stands to his feet and starts walking. Nina tugs on him, but he ignores her. Can he really see me? Why is he coming after me? I slightly move out of the way as he reaches his hand what seems like for me, but instead goes for the shoulder of someone who had been standing behind me this whole time. It's Kaname Shibata.

"Please, take care of my Nina. I'm going to the Church for a while." He asks of her.

Kaname smiles graciously at Kazua. "Of course…!"

As Kazua leaves the room he takes another glare at me. And this time I can actually feel the stare. Chills go up my spine as his deep, maniacal voice suddenly enters my mind. _"You'll always be around… won't_ _you…?"_ The eerie feeling stops as he has left and I am in the room with Kaname and Nina. The mood is rather peaceful now. I can tell Kaname is such a caring and nice person. The atmosphere around her is just amazing. It's such a relief from what I am use to here. And Nina is so young, innocent, and pure. There isn't a once of evil in the room, or any bad vibe. The two of them sit on knee pillows and discuss Nina's doll. Everything is fine until I see the blurry-faced girl in one corner of the room. Around her appears a mist of black. She's huddled up. _"I can't seem to get the red out of my head…"_ I look at Nina and Kaname, but they don't notice a thing.

I glance at the stairs to the left of the entrance. I think I heard some sort of soft whistling from beyond there, but I am not sure. Just across from the entrance is a door already half open. I peek inside to get the glance of an altar room. At first within in a split second it appears to be a village massacre. Jun Okura stands in a pile of bleeding bodies. She is nude, but not completely without something on her skin. It appears to be a red tattoo of some sort. She laughs insanely as she steps on the backs of those very few villagers still trying to escape. She crushes their skulls with hard stomps. Her bloody bladed knife is tossed at the door. It clicks off of it as I quickly shut it for a moment to shield myself. When I open the door back up, there is nothing and no one there. This entire room is empty. I walk in as I do believe a notebook of some sort is awaiting me in the middle of the room (about where Jun had been standing). I pick it up and read over it. It appears to be a normal diary.

**Kaname's Diary 1:** _"Master Tanaka has been very leery of this room lately. I find that highly odd. It's supposed to be his altar room, but he's had some villagers help clear it out the other day. I don't understand why. The Master is an extremely religious man. Why would he want to do away with his altar room? I guess it makes sense in a way, though. He hasn't started acting like that until Nina's strange dreams. **1/5** Master Tanaka came up to me today and asked me to seal the door. I was taken back. Usually a villager cannot use the church's seals. It is considered a vile sin. I am stuck, though. Asking the Master why, as well as refusing to do so, is also a vile sin. I trust him, though. I will seal the altar room's door. **2/5** Nina has been getting lost a lot lately. She wanders for hours into the woods and she won't return home until nightfall, where then she insists on spending the night outside. I've asked the Master to please talk to his daughter. She won't trust in me anymore…** 3/5** My duty of sealing the altar room's door is completed. It didn't go so smoothly, however. I kept hearing screams and begs every time I close the door, but no one was ever in there. The screams continue every night… And I often catch Nina staring at the door… Almost like she's hollow…** 4/5** Nina tore off the seals last night. The Master was beyond angry. He pulled her from the altar room immediately. When she came out, a blue bruise was on her forearm and shoulder. Before I could ask Master Tanaka about it, it faded. Nina's eyes drearily looked into mine… She's been asleep ever since…** 5/5**"_

As soon as I finish, I hear Kaname's voice calling after Nina. Nina is standing in the doorway. She looks at me. Well, at least it appears that way… No, wait… I think she can actually see me! She points and tells Kaname to look… _"…look at the pretty scars, Kaname… … … Kaname, look at them!"_ I gasp as my body goes cold. I feel something growing on my arms. I look down. There's something red starting to cover me. I scratch and swipe, but it doesn't help anything. Suddenly Kaname yells at Nina for being near the altar room. She slams the door shut and I think she locks it, but I'm not sure. I run to the door and start to scream… and beg… It sounds like she's nailing something on the other side. Is she sealing the door? No, not now! I'm in here! _"I've tried to keep the red from spreading… but this simple little knife just isn't working…"_ I freeze. Behind me is Jun Okura. She holds a locket of long, black hair. Something's different about her. She doesn't appear to be a spirit. Don't tell me… Don't tell me she's real…

"_I keep loosing my way… I can't seem to find her anymore… I'm done… I'm done…"_ She brushes my face with the black hair. I can actually feel its tingle and soft touch. _"I'm done with all the pain…"_ She laughs as insanely as she had before. She shows me the blade in front of my face. I can see my reflection… No, it's not me… It's not… The person showing in the blade is one of the dressed-up women, like I saw down in the tunnel; the one I became when I first entered it with Dagon. I gasp and bring my hands up, and so does this girl in the reflection. Jun pulls the knife away and aims down. What is she doing…? Oh… yeah… she's going to stab me… And suddenly, just as my thoughts couldn't be more right, Jun Okura thrusts the knife deep into my stomach. My eyes twitch and my face winces at the horrid pain. I vomit slight blood. My body begins to burn as Jun pulls out the knife. I fall to her feet. I reach up to her for some reason. I call out quietly… _"Jun… Jun, my love… why? Why did you do this…?"_ She wipes the knife clean of blood with my hair, taking a lock of it with her. She looks down upon me. She steps on my back with one foot. She smiles. _"Now, you want to know! Do you really want to know…?"_ Jun pauses. She looks up and then quickly back down. She raises the knife one more time high above her head. _"Because…"_ She scowls. _"… For me… It's never ENDS!" _She strikes the back of my head with the knife. I can honestly say I don't feel anything. I just know my eyes close. And I can hear Nanako's voice singing softly… _"Wake-up, daddy, no one needs to sleep… Wake-up, daddy, no one needs to sleep… … Wake-up, daddy, no one needs to sleep…"_ As she repeats this harmoniously, a disgruntled sounding woman growls over it loudly, _"I can't kill you anymore…"_

I wake up to the sound of Nina bothering me. She nudges on my shoulders and pleads for me to open my eyes. "Nina…?" My eyes open and I sit upwards against a wall. I'm still in the empty altar room. Things are a bit darker and I'm not alone. Before my face is Nina's spirit. I reach for my camera and I snap a shot. She fades away and I acquire the **'Wake up!'** photo (_a photo of Nina Tanaka; She begs for you to wake from your dreams)_. I feel at my stomach. It itches a little, but I don't see any blood. I lift my shirt up. What the…? A small red patch is there. It doesn't rub off, but it hurts to even touch it. I get to my feet. I stumble a bit as I head for the door. I can only hope it opens.

Just before I go to open the altar room's door, I hear Kazua Tanaka speaking with who might be Murdock (Monroe) Murrioko. Its basic mumbles on both parts, so I can't be sure. And even if it is them, I don't even know what they are talking about. I push the door a little bit more. It creaks, but not too loud. I can now see Kazua's form. He appears to be dressed in his dark colored church robe. He is not wearing the hat or veil. I can't quite see who he's talking to, though. However, I can hear them a bit better. It doesn't sound like Monroe. This stranger sounds like he might actually be Gerald Hemmingway. Kazua says, _"… --sun go… It's not going to happen. No matter what you think, I cannot allow for this. My daughter is not longer safe. No one here is safe anymore. Why did you return, tell the others? Now more have come here… it's causing too much… The Church fears a Hell will be brought to us all… What have you done!"_ Gerald (?) laughs mockingly, _"Have you yet to notice the ones you are Defacing are of your own people! The outsiders don't do anything but ask questions. You would, too, if people you loved were being spirited away…"_ Kazua scoffs at him, _"And my own daughter?" _Gerald (?) sighs heavily, _"Let us hope that our daughters never meet; that NONE of the daughters ever meet."_

It doesn't appear like their conversation is over, but they aren't sticking around to talk about it near me. Kazua pauses and says he has heard something. The two walk further away from me to discuss things elsewhere. I let down my guard and proceed to open the altar room's door the rest of its way when a pale face pops up in the crack. It's Kaname's spirit. I can hear her cry. She slams the door shut in my face. I fall back. A shadow is beneath the door. I stay put with my camera ready. When all is clear, I try the door again. I open it to see I am alone now. I step out into the main hall.

The house now appears like it should have in present time. The wood floor is rotting away, the various objects (vases, dolls, etc) collect dust and are sometimes broken, the walls smell of a musty antique, the ceiling is often warped and looks like it could collapse at any moment, and spider webs decorate corners and furnishings. I head to the main door. The only thing I can think of is: I want out of here. I mean, Jun tried to kill me! Or, well… someone that she thought I was? Anyway, I don't want to stick around any longer. I start to leave when Nina Tanaka appears further down the hallway (the main sitting room with partition screen; place I was first when first here). She stares at me with tearing eyes. She points down the hall and to some other doors. _"He's been looking all over for you, Brianna. Please… won't you go talk to him?"_ A short vision in my head shows me of Nina laying on her back on some sort of circular platform. Five pillars that villagers rotate have ropes around them, and each rope from the pillars goes to one of these body parts on Nina: left and right ankles, left and right wrists, and neck. The villagers begin to rotate the pillars and…

I get back to reality suddenly. Nina is no longer before me… Shit… I just missed another photo… Slightly disappointed and highly frightened at the vision I had, I sigh at the door. I'm thinking to myself this place probably won't let me leave anyway. I am a tad curious, though. If Nina Tanaka was Defaced, then why was her body pulled apart? That's not how the Defacing Ritual takes place… I look down the hall to see two doors. Hm, too doors? I can handle that, I guess. I head down the hall and enter the first door to my left.

Kazua's spirit is standing alone. He is transparent, but the black rose he holds in his hands is very real. I remember the photo, and how I've collected the blue and red rose. I need that! I raise my camera, but Kazua fades in front of the lens. I pull it down. He's gone! Frustrated, I enter the room angrily. There is a stubby, wood table on the ground with about five pillows surrounding it. Plates and cups of tea are in each spot. Candles line the walls as well as religious symbols, portraits of the goddess, prayer beads, and worn scrolls. This appears to be a room for meetings. Something about the table strikes me as highly odd. Two cups of tea have been drunk from, and two pillows have need indents. A bloody rope lies strewn across the stubby table as well. I reach down to touch it when a blue distortion appears. I take a photo of it. I acquire the **'Extra Rope'** photo _(a photo of the extra rope Ogawa reported to Tanaka)_. Another image forms out of the picture. It looks like a small person's body wrapped in a bloody, white sheet being hung in the graveyard. It's a new photo called, **'Failed Defacing'** _(a photo of an apparent failed defacement of a sinner; the ritual hadn't gone as planned)_.

Nina appears behind me. _"Will you wait for me?"_

I look over my shoulder. Naturally, I am alone. The rope no longer has the blue distortion, in fact, it isn't even there anymore. I leave the meeting room and head back to the main hall to check the other door. It is immediately to my left. I enter it so see it's a very small room. It… looks like a child's room. There is no doubt in my mind that this belongs to Nina. To my right is a tiny, white canopy bed. The sheets and pillows match the pure white color. Candles line the walls of this place, too. All of the candles burn a warm, vanilla scent. I am still unsure of what the fragrance has to do with Defacing Ritual. Dressers hand painted pink are in the corners of the rooms. Some have paper lamps on top, others have fancy dressed dolls, and one has a stack of small kimonos. A closet door slides open on its own. It's to my left. I go over to it carefully. I aim my camera inside. There's nothing there, but there is a scrap of paper.

**Nina's Note:** _"I can't live like this anymore. My body hurts. It keeps burning! I don't want to go to sleep anymore! Daddy, don't let me close my eyes again! She's… She's the only thing keeping me awake now…"_

I get a black and white vision just after reading her note. I can see Nina sleeping peacefully in her sleep. Flashes of her being chased up the lighthouse, calling after her father (_Chapter 3 reference)_, come and go. This disturbs and roughens her rest. She starts to twitch and convulse, and it gets worse as the images progress. A spirit shrouded in red, bloody mist gives chase after her, much like it had to me. I'm not sure if it's the same spirit or not. Who knows? It could be Mika, Miaka, Nanako, or Jun. The red mist makes it impossible to determine. Nina keeps yelling for her father, and as she nears the top of the lighthouse she can see him at the door. He looks at her. _I'm saved! _She thinks. A frown is on her father's face. He turns away and goes beyond the door, closing and holding it shut behind him. Nina hits on the door and screams. As the spirit nears her, she wakes up. Her body is sweaty, and on her grows a horrible red mark that has spread throughout most her body.

The image turns to her walking the dark and silent halls of her house. She heads to the altar room. She tears down the seals Kaname has placed on there. Nina heads on in. A woman with long, black hair stands facing the wall. She wears a kimono much like Nanako's… In fact… she looks exactly like Nanako Ohnishi. She turns around after hearing Nina close the door. Her face is still obscured by her thick hair. Nanako kneels to Nina. _"He's trying to kill me!" _Nina cries out and hugs Nanako. The mysterious woman holds her tight. She speaks in a very melodic, calming tune. _"Don't worry… I will find a place for you; a place where no one will be able to harm you again… no pain… no scars or bruises… And here, you will have a name… and a face…"_ Nina looks up to her and wipes her tears away. She smiles happily. Upon hearing the comforts, Nina leaves for bed again. Nanako stands to her feet and watches as the Tanaka daughter heads off. She isn't alone. Kaname has seen Nina leaving the altar room. She caught her walking back off to bed after coming downstairs from her room to check on her. Kaname looks into the altar room, and for a split second, she sees what I had seen (Jun Okura in the sea of bleeding bodies, insane laughter, etc). Kaname jumps back and the door slams shut. All of the seals are repaired miraculously. The door won't open, but beyond the door Kaname can still hear Jun Okura's laughing and the slaughtering of villagers. _"Nina…?"_

A warping growl comes from her room. Kaname rushes over to Nina's bedroom, flings open the door, and sees a horrific sight. The body of Nina is in pieces. Her blood splatters cover the walls, ceiling, floor, the bed sheet, the pillows, the canopy, the paper shade lamps (which cast nothing but a red light in the room), the beautifully dressed dolls, and everything else. As Kaname glances over the horror, Jun Okura appears behind her with a knife. She stands it through her stomach, but as she is stabbed, Kaname awakens from a bad dream. She feels her burning shoulder to see a red patch, pulsating with blue veins. _"Not another one…"_ She rolls her eyes. _"I need to stop drinking tea before bed…"_ She laughs, but upon realizing the patch on her, she looses her cool. Kaname hears the muffled screams of Nina from the first floor. She takes off.

She stops just short of the altar room to see Kazua Tanaka standing over a small figure covered in white, bloody sheets and a rope around its neck. He holds his prayer beads, says a small prayer, and tosses the black rose onto the corpse before two churchmen carried it off. She gasps and leans herself against the wall. Her cries are not silent anymore. She bellows out for Nina! Kazua hears her and quickly looks over at her. He shakes his head. _"Kaname, it's not what you think… She's…"_ A small voice comes from down the hall. Nina walks to her, rubbing her eyes. _"Kaname?"_ Kaname grabs her and hugs her tightly. _"Nina! I'm so glad you weren't…!"_ Kaname pauses as Jun Okura's body suddenly falls from the ceiling. She dangles there by means of a rope around her neck. Kaname jumps back, but no one else sees it. Next is Mika Aragaki's body falling down from no where but the walls itself. She goes to head upstairs, screaming in panic while Nina and Kazua look on highly confused. Once she reaches the top of the stairs the white-faced spirit is before her. It latches onto her neck, but before I know what happens to her, I wake up.

I'm in Nina's bedroom lying on her bed. I can feel something in my left hand. I open my palms to see the black rose! As I look at it I can hear Kazua's voice grumbling, _"Through my shadows, and into my death; though I am unknown, my name is this breath."_ The photo of the door and the faded roses has one more animated on it now. I have the blue, the red, and now the black. I only have four more to go… but… where will I find them? And what exactly happened here at the Tanaka House? I leave Nina's bedroom and stand at the bottom of the staircase. I guess there's only one way to find out. Kaname… what did you see?

**Any and all reviews welcomed!**

**I will revise if needed!**

**Next time:** The Defacement Ritual

**Thank you!**

Author's Note

I'm sorry about the long delay here, too. However, I can pretty much guarantee the next update will be much sooner. My storyline took an unexpected dead end with something, so I'm currently trying to work things out smoothly. I do not intend to keep things out, but however, seeing as there WILL be a sequel, I can't give you all the information. And if this chapter seemed to be taking on a Fatal Frame III: The Tormented twist, it's because it is. I'm taking every Fatal Frame plot and working bits and pieces into my own original storyline. It's coming together nicely, and someday you might understand it, but for now… Let me tell you that you can believe a vision/text/stone, etc, etc, or not… Or interpret them in your own way. This sort of puts you in control of how the plot really is.

Aren't I cool? Hahaha… Nah, I just want to keep your attention and keep you guessing…

So you'll be back for more… and be dieing for the sequel.


	12. The Defacement Ritual

Disclaimer

**Please read: **I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the first, second, and third Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly and Fatal Frame III: The Tormented characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Twelve

The Defacement Ritual

"_I bear the marks around my neck,_

_I bear them on my wrists and heart,_

_But the worst sign of all is the one showing me that you're…"_

The second floor didn't seem all too busy. Upon climbing the stairs there is a straight path a head of me, two doors on my left, and just a rotting wood wall on my right. I enter the first door on my left. As soon as I enter I see thousands of dolls covering the walls everywhere. A few had fallen to the ground, but that isn't what made any of them special. What make them special is how they are dressed. They are look like me. Even the hair is like mine. Slightly freaked out, I really want to leave, but something catches my eye. Propped against the far, right-hand corner wall is a small book. It looks like another yellow rose book. I head over to it and pick it up. Sure enough, it has the yellow cover with the pink roses all over it. The other ones I have read talk about Nina and Kazua. These must have been written by Kaname. I start to read this one.

**Yellow Rose Book 3:**_"I can't take it anymore. I was keeping a diary, but I lost it. I'm loosing everything…! Including my mind… I don't understand what's happening to me. I think… I think someone's trying to kill me! **1/3** Nina keeps waking up in the middle of night… She keeps heading to the altar room. Everyday her rash is worse and worse. She says it doesn't bother her. 'It just stings when I wake up,' She tells me. I can tell it hurts. If there isn't any pain, then why does she cry every night? **2/3** I'm starting to have those dreams, too… Blood… I keep seeing the blood falling from the Red Maiden's eye… And her rose… Why is she holding that rose…? It's white… so white… Like her face… I can't keep the read from my head anymore…**3/3**"_

As I read the last line, a growling hum said it with me. It is closer than you think. I peer over my shoulder to see Kaname's spirit looking straight at me. Something isn't right about her ghost. She's wearing a white, blood-stained gown, no shoes, a bleeding face with the word 'Endless' etched on her forehead, and her neck is broken and tilting to the side with a worn rope around it. Kaname… What did they do to you…? I'm pretty much only an inch from her transparent face. I stare deep into her purple, pale eyes. I try to see something, anything! The harder I try to see the human still left in Kaname, the less I actually feel her harmful grip around my throat. I can easily reach down for my camera and take a shot of her, repelling her away, and then repeating the process until her spirit fades, but I don't. For some reason, I cannot feel like hurting her. She isn't a ghost, I tell myself. No, wait, she is! Exorcise her spirit! Look, she's hurting you! She's _killing_ you! Take a picture! Take it…!

"_No…"_ Nina squeaks from nowhere. _"No, I don't want to play that game."_ As Kaname slowly drains the life from me, I can hear Nina Tanaka's voice coming and going; fading and returning. I try to see the memories in Kaname's eyes. If she has them, then she's real. She's still a part of this world. She's still a little bit human somewhere. _"I told daddy that it hurts when he takes the beads and puts them here…! Around my neck…!"_ I glance deeper into Kaname's purple orbs of sight. I long to get at least once twitch of sorrow, pain, discomfort, anything that indicates she can hear Nina, too. I'm not imagining Nina's voice. Kaname is. She's telling me what she heard. And showing me what she saw; is this what happened?

"_He says it's to protect me from the bad people! But, I don't see any bad people, Kaname!"_ I catch the glimpse of Nina and Kaname in black and white. They appear to be talking in Kaname's room or someplace like that. _"It's getting worse…"_ Kaname whispers to Nina as she rubs the small girl's red arms. Nina pulls away. _"I'll be fine. Daddy says prayer will make it go away."_ The next image goes to Kaname looking through books and texts. She mumbles on about the red marks, the dreams, and so on. She appears to be searching for something. All of a sudden a door creaks open and a man's tall shadow forms over her. She slowly looks up. Things are quiet between both of them. In a split second, Kaname screams, a loud thud happens, and everything is pitch black.

"_Just pray… Just pray for me, Kaname…"_ Nina groans. Kaname's eyes open to the bloody sight of Nina's body. Her own blood spews out from underneath her. She can feel something wet and warm in her hand… It's a knife…! _"No, I wouldn't!"_ The next scene shows Kaname yelling at villagers awaiting her to be punished. They appear to be arguing in the graveyard near a hanging tree. Kazua shouts at her insanely, _"You killed my Nina, and tried to take your own life! You're a murderer! And now you want us to spare you? HOW CAN I EVER GET BACK WHAT YOU TOOK AWAY FROM ME!"_ Kaname looks down at her feet. A cold rain starts to downpour. Her eyes wander around aimlessly. She skims over the villagers. They all want me dead, she thinks to herself. They want to see the blood drained from my body. _"I did…?"_ Kaname responds in confusion.

Kazua looks over to a veiled man holding a rope. He doesn't look like a priest. He simply wears a black veil and cloth-like robe. He has strange tattoos all over his body. They look like black and red ink designed like panthers, eagles, and snakes. Kaname takes a deep breath as the rope is around her. When her eyes close, my sight goes black. There is a strange "hanging" noise and the villagers cheer in happiness. The next sight I see is of Kaname's body being dropped into a flowing river of red, and it being carried away, falling off into darkness and a bloody tear falling after her. The images cut to the beautifully dressed women standing face-to-face with their white roses. The bright light at their side makes it impossible to see their faces now. _"I'll always remember you…"_ One says to the other. She responds with, _"I'm not going anywhere."_ They both smile. The first one speaks again, _"I mean it. I promise to always remember who you are; name and face. I love you."_ The bright light engulfs the images and I'm back with me again in the doll room. Kaname's spirit isn't choking me anymore, but I do hear a very low, grumbling female say to me, _"You—promised!"_

The sensor on the camera starts to go haywire. I look through the lens because I can't see any ghosts anywhere in this room. As soon as I look through it, the dolls are moving back and forth, almost like a teasing dance. I can hear them laughing and laughing. Why? Why are they laughing? What's so funny? I try snapping some pictures to make them stop, but it doesn't work. I try to leave the room, but that isn't going to happen either. Suddenly Nina Tanaka's spirit appears in the corner where I found the yellow rose book. She's huddled up and crying. I aim the camera at her and it says she's a harmful ghost. Do I really have to…? I take a picture as soon as it looks to me she's getting to her feet and on her way to hurt me. She winces a bit, but she's not stopping. Kaname's spirit stands up with some struggle and keeps pursuing me.

I move back at times when she gets too close, and when she vanishes I run around aimlessly with my camera at the ready. I never know when she will reappear or sneak up behind me. Kaname's spirit has something wrong with her left hand, I notice just before she goes to grab me and I snap a picture of her. Something just does not look right about it. Unlike the other "broken neck" ghosts, Kaname's left hand appears to have a stake in it. Blood is coming down from her wounded palm. It also seems like she has tiny needles pinned all the way up her left arm. This is beyond strange. Don't tell me there's another twist to this place's customs! I try to have a distance between Kaname and myself. I continuously use my camera on her whenever I get the chance. After one of the longest battles of cat and mouse, Kaname's spirit jerks back and forth while she's reaching for her throat like she's having tough difficulty breathing. _"All the water… this red won't get off of me… I didn't hurt anyone…!" _Kaname groans as her spirit fades away. A stone and two brown books are left where she was.

**The Red Child Tome:** _"It is considered one of the greatest honors to have a Red Child in your family. A Red Child, by ancient accounts, are babies born under the goddess' choice. In other words, the goddess selects what babies at birth will have the privileges a Red Child has. **1/3** These privileges are the ability to communicate directly with the goddess herself. Prayers from regular people are sent into the dreams and minds of a Red Child, where they in turn, pass them onto the goddess. However, many people believe the Red Child has the choice whether or not to deem the prayers worthy of the goddess. **2/3** A lot of Red Children belong to a church or a religious shrine, but there hasn't been a Red Child born for centuries. It is believed this was a result of the Blood-Dream…**3/3**" _(the rest is missing)

**The Red Prayers Tome:** _"Prayers that can only be made by a Red Child. These go immediately to his or her goddess and are considered highly regarded amongst the church and the shrine of a village. But there is a dark side to these prayers. It has been known that sometimes Red Children aren't as holy as the goddess intended. They may abuse their powers, and upon angering requests, and thoughtless sins, the goddess may in return punish those she has felt betrayed her. It is a massacre of the village and its people, manipulating minds, entering **dreams**, and using impure situations on our world to create her own darkness upon us all. It has occurred only once by…**1/1**" _(the rest is missing here as well)

_**Gold-Sparkled Gem:** (Kaname's voice, scared, a little confused, ceremony chant in background, yelling): "I didn't kill anyone. They tell me I killed her. But I know I couldn't have. I'm not like that. It wasn't me. I'm not the killer… … Everyone tells me I did it… telling me I murdered her in cold blood… I loved Nina. I would never… (Kaname's voice warps a little, an angrier growling voice speaks with her): It's not me. (Background is quiet): It doesn't have to be like this."_

I pause in silence. Kaname is accused of killing Nina? But… I saw it; in the "dream." Kaname was stabbed, too. She was killed then, wasn't she? I hear a noise is the next room over. I leave the doll room and head to the left of the hall and to the next door. I press my ear against it, trying to hear what may be in there. It sounds like whispering. It can't be Kaname. Her voice is softer. This woman sounds like the growling voice I heard on the stone; that I keep hearing throughout this place. I try to be very careful not to disturb whoever is in there as I crack the door and peek in. I can see her bare feet. She's wearing a kimono much like Nanako's. I open the door farther. It looks like it might be Nanako Ohnishi! As I step in a bit to get a closer look, the floor makes a noise beneath my foot. She perks up and looks quickly around. It has to be Nanako, but this time her face isn't that obstructed! I get the very short peek at the side of her face. What's wrong with it! There are red lines—like veins, all over it and her eyes are gone! Her complexion is a mixture of pale blue and white. Blood drips down in thin streams from her missing eyes. I get the flash image of the bloody tear falling into the blackness, and then it shows a bloody tear falling onto the rose. Nanako…? Nanako was one of the girls I had seen dressed up? The moment I come to, she's gone. There's nothing left in this room. I leave thinking to myself… If Nanako Ohnishi is one of the dressed up girls… who is the other? It isn't Jun Okura or Mika Aragaki. They both had a hand in the massacre of the village. Was it…?

There are some heavy steps from around the corner that turns to the right. I get the sudden sense that this way leads to Kaname's bedroom. An overwhelming emotion of tender and caring love, two coveting hearts bounded into one, and soft spoken-lullabies all twisted into an ending of the ugliest despair and most painful deceit ever known to mankind. While drowning in these hurtful feelings as I turn the corner to Kaname's bedroom, I run into Dagan—literally. He looks down at me with frustration across his face. I ask him what he is doing here. I thought he was going to check out the other village. He shakes his head. He tells me there is no way over there, not with the cemetery there.

"It's like… something in there is keeping anything from heading that way… too bad it's locked. I'd really like to know what's over there…" Dagon sighs. I show him the photo of the door and the roses. He nods fast. "Yeah, yeah… I know… I read all about it when I was little. It's an old tradition in these parts. The cemetery is locked with a seal that only the head priest can unlock. He's the only one allowed to know. This keeps grave-robbers and over grieving loved ones from the tombstones and hanging trees. You may have found those roses, but there's no way of getting the others; not with the other part of the village sealed off."

I don't think that makes much sense, so I question him on it. "If that's the case, I wouldn't still be alive. Dagon… she's had the chance to kill me… so many times… but she's keeping me alive… She wants me to help her. She's showing me where to go; they _all_ are. They want to be free. They want their stories told. It's up to me to let them rest. They need to sleep, Dagon."

He hands me an ancient text book. "Whatever the reason you're still alive, there's always a chance you'll die here. I found this book near the cemetery. It was halfway buried in the dirt. There were marks like someone had been trying to dig it up before I found it. It'll probably mean a lot more to you than it does to me. It'll help you out, if information on the ritual is what you're looking for." I excitedly grab the book from his hands. He leaves me to it and waves off. "It's useless to try and get into that room. It won't open." He refers to Kaname's bedroom. "I'm off to look for more clues. If I find any roses, I'll let you know."

**The Defacement Ritual:** _"A ritual takes place in a village hidden deep within woods and in the shadow of another village. It is hardly known to any scholar, no matter how highly regarded or worldly studies they have under their belts. It has been very difficult to find any record or information on such a ritual. However, reports from people trapped inside the overshadowed village have been discovered. Most are through radio transmissions and written notes that have blown through the wind. **1/5** the only information I could gather on this ritual is as follows: the Defacement Ritual, a ritual known to many ancient peoples as "The Ritual To Remove A Face," or "Without A Name." When telling of someone who is to become a victim sacrificed in such a ritual, the ancient people would say, "They are to be Defaced," "They are to exist without a name," "She must give up her face," or even, "She will be skewered, skinned, and taken from her place." It is written in scrolls that this is actually meant to be a religious ceremony with unfortunate sacrificial consequences. **2/5** As with most religions, it is believed that a higher being, or higher power, is responsible for life existing. The religion in this region also believes that has humans, since we possess intelligence and self-awareness beyond other creatures, we are "chosen" and lucky, and we should respect and revere our God, or in this case, Goddess. If one is to commit one or more sin against the Goddess, they are to suffer the ritual. And since the beliefs listed above are summed up as: "She Gives Us Life, Let Us Live It For Her, As Her. If One Is To Go Astray, Let Us Take Back What Was Given," the life, or 'face,' of the one who sinned must be 'removed.' **3/5** Although it is clear why the ritual is performed (sins against the Goddess) and the meaning behind the ritual (humans are fortunate they exist because the Goddess chose them to be, so if one go against her, they must give up their "face"), it is not clear what actually occurs during this ritual. There are two different legends that detail what might actually happen. They differ is how the sinner is Defaced. One basically claims the sinner sacrifices themselves, while the second claims it is done by others because, as a sinner, they aren't even worthy enough to offer themselves back to the Goddess to which they have sinned against. **4/5** I am so fascinated with this region, its religion, and the unknown ritual, that I must go see it all for myself. I know the dangers. I am aware that most are "spirited away," or vanish, when entering any sacred village, but I must risk it. I will leave this behind for others to see. Perhaps with enough findings and pieces of information, we can finally figure out the ghostly and grisly curses that lie within the villages and put it all to sleep-once and for all. **5/5**_

I smile. It makes sense to me now; this whole ritual. It explains why the priests were so picky on what people were doing and what sins they have committed. If I understand the ritual that took place here, then I can get out! A scratching noise comes at Kaname's door. As I turn around to see what is there, I become face-to-face with Mika Aragaki. No, wait… She _looks_ like Mika Aragaki, but her clothes… They are different. She's wearing a light blue kimono with pink floral designs up the left half. On her feet are brown sandals. Is she…? Is she…_ "Miaka…"_ I whisper, about to lightly touch her face. She grabs my wrist and looks deep into my eyes. I don't get any visions in my head, but I can see images in her pupils. It looks like Jun Okura and Nanako Ohnishi holding hands and talking. It shows Mika Aragaki consoling Miaka Aragaki, who has watched them. She's crying…? Something looks like Mika Aragaki talking with Nanako near the edge of the village. It's mid day as they walk off deep into the woods. At night Mika returns—alone. The images cut to Miaka dressing as Nanako. And Jun Okura and "Nanako" holding hands and talking. Mika watches with a smile. Miaka's grip tightens as the images in her eyes seem to get "red." Is it a glare? I keep watching as it appears a bloodied hand grabs Mika Aragaki by the shoulder. Now it shows Noriko running to the Tanaka house… Miaka lets go of me. A piece of paper is where she was.

**Miaka's Confession:** _"I just wanted to love you. She never loved you more than me… Why won't you understand that? She doesn't deserve you. She had to go, Jun. With her still here, you wouldn't have noticed me… not the way I noticed you…Jun, I asked you to dress like me so we wouldn't be discovered. I did it for you! Why don't you love me? Why do you still say her name? Just once… Please, just once… say you love me…say MY name… Notice me… see my face…"_

"_She was taken over by the Adrianna… the marks on her… scolding me… killing herself, taking me away… I watched them slaughter everyone…"_ I hear Kaname's voice talking about Nina. It reminds me of the first yellow rose book I received (_Chapter 3 reference)_. The last page is cut short. It started to mention that Nina had been taken over by the A—and that was it. Adrianna…? That's the first I've heard of that name before. Is it another daughter? It doesn't sound like it's a part of this region. Also, the fact that it's put like "the Adrianna" makes me wonder even more. Is it a curse? I look around me, but there's no indication of a spirit anywhere. I can still hear some scratching behind Kaname's bedroom door. It sounds like more conversation. Is… Is Kaname behind there…? Is she trapped!

"_Jun…"_ Kaname's voice is weepy and fades in and out. _"Jun Ok—kura found Nanako… N-Nanako… resting in the woods… under the water…"_ As I approach the door and kneel to it, I get the black and white images of Jun Okura stumbling upon Nanako's limp body. The Ohnishi girl is floating lifelessly on the surface of a stream; the stream I washed my face with_ (Chapter 1 reference)_. Nanako's blood drips and falls into the water as Jun pull out her body and sobs heavily. The blood droplets falling into the water quickly morph into the ones I see down the white cheeks, and the ones that fall into the blackness. _"I saw her… rampage… killing… spilling… causing the curse… giving us the goddess' pain… Giving forth our bloodless faces… dieing… I… I-I… I saw it…"_ It looks like in the images that Jun Okura in her silver kimono, puts on the black wig to make her look like Miaka Aragaki. However, the villagers mistaken her for Miaka's sister, Mika, because Jun often called out against Miaka. She slaughters and destroys the village. Blood covers her silver kimono. After she has slaughtered most of the village, she takes off the black wig, discarding it down a well along with the bloody kimono. That reminds me… I fell on a bloody kimono down a well _(Chapter 2-3 reference)._ Jun has killed the remainder of her family. She's killed off everyone. She's alone. Jun's hands bleed from the destruction of a projector and a room as she grieves _(Chapter 3 reference)._ _"I want them back," _Jun sobs. _"The Adrianna… a grieving curse… An aftermath of the Defacement Ritual… Tanaka, he… He didn't want the outsiders knowing…The… The entire village… swallowed by the pain and suffering from every Defaced. I… I saw it in my dreams… Nina… she saw it, too…I-I-I…I tried to tell everyone… Kill the woman… Kill the woman in the lighthouse… If you kill her, the Adrianna curse won't happen… kill her…"_ Kaname's voice gets very weak and seems to fade. The scratching stops. Suddenly, a loud stomp and Kaname's scream comes from the other side of the door. I gasp and fall backwards. The camera's sensor function goes crazy and my heart races.

"I couldn't kill you." A growling comes from behind me. I freeze and look around. I am face to face with… _her_. It's her! I recognize her! I can see her pale brown eyes, black, long and sleek hair, and that voice… No, not that one; it's usually softer. Why…? Why is she so angry? Wait… why is she calling me that…? That's not my name, is it? It's me…?

"_Brianna… Your sister wants to see you…"_

End

Chapter Twelve

**Any and all reviews welcomed!**

**I will revise if needed!**

**Next time:** Knew You

**Thank you!**

Author's Note

At the end of chapter 11, it stated this one was to be called "Mirror, Mirror." I had to make some creative changes. I hope the ritual is coming to light for you. I tried to make the text on it, not too cheesy and cliché, but still informative enough. Now, since the beginning of this fiction, I have mentioned "dream like" things as well as certain "sharp pains." I based this fiction solely on all of the Fatal Frame's, however when I started this one, FF3 was still just a rumor mill, so I took from the rumors and made it what it is. Now that I've beaten the game (happened when this chapter was halfway finished) I can expand that part of the plot. There WILL BE a sequel. This fiction won't detail everything. It will, however, continue with previous subplots (Jun/Nanako, Kaname/Nina, etc), but Gerald Hemmingway's story will take place more in the sequel. I will say this, don't expect all the loose ends to tie together. Mika/Miaka, and the rest of the Aragaki family are pretty much loose ends. The basic story was naturally solved, but the daughters are a complex pair.

However, I want to warn you about the next chapter. It might piss someone off. Haha. No, really. It's going to twist a lot of things around. I apologize for that, but it'll let the main character get in touch with who she is. (She has been a mystery since the story began). I just wanted to warn you.

I honestly believe it might be the most helpful chapter, hehe. But, we'll see.


	13. Knew You

Disclaimer

**Please read: **I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the first, second, and third Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly and Fatal Frame III: The Tormented characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Thirteen

Knew You

"_They said your name,_

_They called for your face,_

_But in the end… it was me that truly knew you…"_

"She hasn't opened her eyes in a long time…" I can hear the soft voice of a young woman near my right ear. She sounds like she's sitting next to me. Her breathing is fast and heavy, like she's been crying. Does this person know me? Are they crying for me? The young woman messes up something. It sounds like she might be digging in her purse. The next thing I hear is her sniffling and sobbing. I assume she's probably wiping her nose with a tissue. I can't see anything. I want so bad to look over and see who it is. But my eyes… they feel glued shut. All I can see is the blackness. What looks like the occasional blood droplet falls down. The more and more I hear this woman talking, the more and more blood droplets drip down, and the bigger and bigger the red puddle forms. "I don't understand it. She was fine just a few weeks ago. Yeah… she complained of sharp pains and scars and bleeding on her face, but the doctor assured me that was hallucinations from the medication. She… she was suppose to get better." I wince. I think I do, anyway. In my mind, I feel my face twitch and my eyes flutter. Am I… remembering this woman?

Scuffling footsteps start from one end of me and move to the other, but I can still hear the weeping of the young woman in my right ear. There's someone else here; the person she is talking to. I can hear them sigh at me. I can feel their worried stare at my face. It… it almost burns me! When this stranger begins to talk, I can now tell they are an older man; not much more than the age of thirty, though. He sounds sort of rough and stern. He actually almost reminds me of Kazua. Of course, I know that isn't him, but in the way he speaks it just reminds of me of his face and his attitude. "In the tapes collected from the hospital it shows she doesn't move at all, not even her lips, but there's a voice. You… you recognized it as hers. This is certainly a mystery to the medical community. No one has been able to find anything wrong with her. The test results show she isn't in a comatose state at all… and the doctor refuses to speak to me about anything more." The young woman asks him why. He scoffs and taps his foot down for a second. "He wouldn't hear of it!" The man apologizes for raising his tone. "I… I brought up the other incidents at the hospital… Patients were found on hospital beds covered in red marks and the word 'Endless' bleeding out on their foreheads. They, too, had been in an apparent coma for a few days. I… I understand this is really hard for you, but… so far the patients have had things in common… so I must ask you… Is… Is she married?"

The woman sounds a bit taken back. I am struck. Other people…? Here…? The word endless…? Am I dreaming? Was I dreaming? The young woman messes with what may be her purse again. "No, no… she's never been married." The man's footsteps move back towards her. He mumbles to her. What the hell is he saying? I want to know! Am I dieing? Is this why I've felt like letting go so many times…? The woman's sniffling continues. "I know. I'll find out and get back to you on that." The man's footsteps leave the room. And it sounds like the young woman is going to leave, too. I tried to yell. I think for sure she's hearing me… Don't go! Don't leave me here! I don't want to be alone… The red puddle starts to rumble a bit, like it's being disturbed by something. _"For so long…"_ A raspy growl snarls in my ear. _"I've wanted to bring you into my world… Where we can be together… forever…"_ The red puddle seems as if it's going away; draining out to no place from this no where. I think for a moment I can hear footsteps again. The door slams shut. And when it makes the loud (almost too loud) closing slam, I spring up, my eyes opened!

Oh… I'm… here? Kaname's bedroom is around me. The place is unusually dark. The small flashlight is all I have and its beam is very narrow and dim. I get off from my side and stand on my feet in a shaky stance. I point the flashlight everywhere slowly around the room. It looks like Kaname's room had been cleaned out. Dust gathers on the bare wood floor and a shattered mirror decorates the wall across from the door. Her window is even boarded up. For an instance, while I aim the light around to see if there is anything else here, I think I see the figure of the white face woman walk towards me. I quickly move the light back, but there's nothing there. It isn't until I go to take a step that I kick something on the ground. I aim the flashlight at my feet to see it looks like a doctor's clipboard. What would one be doing here?

**Doctor's Note 1:** _"Something's not right with some people around here. At first, the rush of patients seemed like a plague; a new disease. Most symptoms could be like an intense flu—cramps, sharp pains, vomiting, and so on. However, the number of the patients experiencing hallucinations was not a result of medication, figuring some haven't even been distributed any, but rather these hallucinations seem to be the same thing for every one with this 'illness.' I'm looking further into it at the moment. I'm recording sessions and speaking with family members. There must be a link somewhere. This isn't a contagious, random thing. It's an isolated and highly specific occurrence. I'll be investigating further."_

**Doctor's Note 2:** _"There was a case not that long ago that is relatively similar. Single survivors of horrible accidents were forced into sleeping states and experienced dreams of the Manor of Sleep. They complained of sharp pains and tattoos that were scarring up their body. They also claimed to see their dead loved ones in the Manor; calling them, further and further. There was always snow and a lullaby. Once they followed the dead, they couldn't return, and they would be 'spirited away,' and black soot was all there was left of them. This follows along with the Tattooed Maiden legends and the Legend of Song (lullaby), but these cases have differences. The ones I'm dealing with are much rarer and have only been reported here. Never in any history texts does it report these cases… the Red Dreams… I've heard myths and rumors… but cases? Here…? I could only find one, marred text on these myths. It's in horrible condition, but I was able to scan it in the lab and print out a more readable version. I'm still looking for more clues."_

**The Red Dreams:** _"Red, the color of blood, the element of fire, the taste of anger, is a natural human instinct. The fits of rage inside a single person, no matter how small or old, can be greater than the Gods themselves. The power of greed and murderous intentions runs through the veins of everyone. It is up to the individual to control it. Some choose not to at all, while others struggle and get through day by day with countless smiles on their faces. 'The Red Affect' is known to describe serial killers. Even the purest of hearts can massacre the world if they have the hate inside of them. This is a scary fact. It is also a dormant feeling waiting in your mind to one day… awaken…**1/7** Sometimes, when a person can feel betrayed and full of grief over something, they will react in anyway they can. In ancient myths, it is said that when the 'Dormant Red' awakens from its 'sleep' it can often drive a person to harm themselves or others. However, if this feeling is too great for the human body to contain/act out upon, it can force the brain into a comatose state. This is where the Red Dreams occur. **2/7** Red Dreams are often different from one another. A few people have experienced each other's dream while their own continues to take place. Is this a shared hatred? Is there some sort of connection to their betrayal? Whatever reason this happens for, what is clear is that no one has ever escaped the Red Dreams. It is a maze within the mind; claimed to be created by his or hers 'Master.' It is to teach and trap sinners; to weed out and rid of the evil. **3/7** Confusion grows amongst folklorist of the origins of these Red Dreams. They believe it is the result of the 'Blood Dream,' or 'Red Massacre,' that happened in a village that once worshipped a goddess named, Faranika, or 'The Red Goddess.' The people under this religion followed highly strict rules for living, and honored the 'Dormant Red' inside of everyone, but it was one instance that this practice of worship and rituals went terribly wrong. **4/7** A Defacement, that is, the ritual, took place that shouldn't have been. Taking the life of a pure person for a sin not committed, often causes terrible rashes, or red tattoos. Taking the lives of many will cause uproar with the goddess, who views that as abuse. She will awaken the 'Dormant Red'. The 'Blood Dream' is still a mystery, but it appears that the village had sacrificed unjustly, and the goddess wanted to rid of the village immediately. **5/7** It seems although the goddess herself experiences the Red inside of her as well. This is highly evident in the fact that she wanted the village to be massacred. But could she really have done it herself? In myths, Faranika is always in her own Red Dream. Could the sins of the village have awakened the Defaced…? Could they have taken the 'Dormant Red' in the Defaced from out of its sleep…? Could they have spilled forth the goddess' Red Dreams, unleashing the curse of the Red Waters on all…? **6/7 **People in our times that experience the Red Dreams are people with a strange connection to the massacred village. They, themselves, are sinners in the Goddess' mind. They are no better than the filth she wanted to be dead. The curse will spread faster and faster on those who try to escape Faranika's Red Curse, and the tattoos will never stop running through their veins. It is a sad, but true fate. Once encased by the goddess' own Red, you won't be able to get back out. Your own 'Dormant Red' will awaken and slowly eat you away, impaling your heart and soul (eyes) with the Red Curse. But there is hope… if you haven't been touched by the Red Curse, there may still be hope for you… It lies within a single flower; one with the right kind of purity to keep you from the Red…**7/7**"_

I have some connection to this village? Could it be… as I chase my childhood memory, I'm being dragged farther and farther into this… dream…? Is that all this is to me now? My very own… Red Dream…? I feel my arms and my face. I have no red marks on me. I'm untouched? I begin to wonder all about this place. Who do I have the connection with? Jun Okura, Miaka or Mika Aragaki, Nanako or Noriko Ohnishi, Kaname Shibata, Nina Tanaka, or anyone else…? What of Dagon? And Yumi, and the others…? Sometimes the dreams will mix with each other; the text said… that means we have a shared connection… When did I enter this dream? _Oh no…_ I recall the scenes I saw with Jun Okura finding Nanako Ohnishi in the stream and her blood falling into the water (_Chapter 12 reference)_, and then myself… in the woods… washing my face with the same water (_Chapter 1 reference)_… My connection… is Nanako Ohnishi? But, she lived, didn't she? If she is a Defaced, then I'm trapped here, but if she survived this village, does that mean I will, too? And… what about my sister, and the Red Curse… Is it anything like the Adrianna Curse…? Was Adrianna the one they locked up in the lighthouse for sure…? My head… My everything… it all feels like its crumbling away out of my reach… one step I get closer, is two more I fall behind… _Grow up… It's not you…_ I try to get my act together. I will make it. With or without Nanako… Yeah, that's her name… It's clear to me now. I don't have a childhood memory. I'm not Brianna! I'm the connection with Gerald's daughter, Brianna. _SHE_ was the one that Nanako showed her the woods and the water… That's why Jun and the Aragaki sisters, along with Noriko, have been haunting me. They all have something to do with Nanako… and Brianna… What happened to them both? Did they die? Did they live? I guess I'll find out…

**The Red Village**

I leave the Tanaka house behind me. I head towards the Shibata house. From the outside it looks like most of the homes here. The walls are wooden and around the two windows at the front are nothing but stone frames. There's a strange sense coming from them. I stand back far enough from the Shibata house so I can see both the windows through the lens of my camera. I take a picture. From this, I get doubles; one photo is the **'Alsuo Shibata'** (_a photo of Kaname's little brother standing at the window; looking at me with sad eyes)_; the other photo is **'Akao Shibata'** (_a photo of Kaname's father standing at the window; look at me with angry eyes)_. Alsuo and Akao wear almost matching white and grey kimonos. Their black hair is cut the same bowl shaped way. Their brown eyes each have a strong expression, although Alsuo seems to have a severe depression and sorrow inside of him, and his father, Akao, has this look he's giving me of rage… his 'red.' I approach the door and I can hear Akao's mouth right next to my right ear. _"I just wanted them to leave me alone…"_ My eyes close gently and I open them, hoping inside that this horrible presence is gone. I enter the Shibata house.

Instead of a main room right before me, there is a wide path that goes a little to the right and then straight into the large main room. The lighting is very dim, but not as dim as most of the houses. Paper shade lamps are lining the floors every step I take. The incense isn't vanilla here. It smells more like a raspberry or strawberry. On the walls are no decorations what so ever. There are no wooden stands with flower vases or anything like that. This house is giving me a sense of anger and rage already. Wasn't this a place to teach the kids of the village?

The main room is more like an empty void of the Shibata house. There are a few strewn pillows that look almost like they were thrown about. There were two purple ones and about three silky green. Two of the green pillows had holes in them. Their filling sits quietly on the floor. A staircase leading to the next level is at the far left. I walk closer to it, thinking there is nothing else on this floor, when Gerald Hemmingway's spirit stops me. He stands at a second hallway that's on the same wall as the one I entered the main room from, but it's across from the stairs. He looks at me and shakes his head. _"I left you a name… I wanted you to remember…"_ He starts to walk down this second hallway.

I follow down. The paper shade lamps are getting dimmer and dimmer. The walls are getting bloodied and the shades on the lamps are casting the red glare. I can almost smell the slaughter. It's almost like the burning of someone—ashes, smoked flesh. The distant screams of what may be children surround and irritate me. Chills run up and down my spine. Suddenly about ten spirits of various and nameless children and young teens of the village run past me. My hair even moves at their frantic speed. It happens like slow motion as I feel their fear. I blink slowly and look behind me. For the first time since I entered this village, I can see Miaka Aragaki's real spirit behind me. She's covered in blood and gripping at her stomach with one hand and her neck with the other. She's limping. I raise my camera, but she's gone. I look back and the children aren't running anymore. There is only one child: Noriko. She points, what I think, is at me. _"I tried to tell them… everyone…"_ I see a large shadow on the ground. Someone's behind me… I look and it's Akao. He has a butcher knife raised to me. He strikes me slightly and I fall to the ground. I feel so drained. I get to my feet and start running. This is when the children reappear running next to me. The tears come from their eyes and fall into the air. I carry the same terror inside of me. _Make them stop!_ I hear Akao's voice. The hallway goes to the right, and then straight for a short while, then another right, and the first left, and a second left, and short straight away, and a third right, and decent length straight path, and then the forth right, a short straight away, and the final right before the path leads into a dinning area at the left.

Once I reach the dining area the children disappear and I don't see Akao anymore, although my camera still acts like something's around. I can also hear the distant mumblings of Akao Shibata. I don't know where he is. The dining area of the Shibata house looks like it has been tore apart; like a massacre went on here. There is a very strong gust of wind coming through the room. This area is narrow from left to right, and to the left of where I enter from the area turns to the left and seems to go along that part of the hallway. Stubby tables are broken in half and rotting food molds to the walls where it has been splattered. A small cooking pit where fires were made is full of blood. Some of the walls are caked in dried blood, and I round the narrow part where it turns to the left to see on the right side of the wall is a giant hole. Since this would put the hole in the ground on the right end of the Shibata house… this hole leads into the warehouse. I put my head through and glimpse in. There's nothing there. I decide to check out the second floor of the Shibata house before leaving. When I turn around I am literally face-to face with Akao.

He goes to strike me, but I am quick enough to raise the camera and snap his photo. As he is pushed back, gripping at his face because of the flash, I make a run for the hallway. He reappears in my way just before I am about to leave the dining area. I snap a shot again and once more as soon as the film loads. He growls at me. Akao spits out random slurs in his fury, saying things like, _"Go away…! Can't you see I want to be left alone? I never have time to myself… The children… kill the children… stop these voices… and kill the children…"_ My heart begins to hammer in my chest. I'm so low on film. I've taken about six shots now of him. I've dodged and shot multiple times now, but Akao isn't falling to his death. He only reacts to the flash. Am I even hurting him? On my eighth snapshot of Akao, it finally seems like he is down for the count. He falls with an evil laughter and grips at his head. _"I've finally gotten them to stop… by killing the children…"_ A photo is left where Akao disappears. It appears to be of a beautiful woman. She looks similar to Kaname, but much older. On the back of the photo is a short message: _"My wonderful wife, the precious mother of my children… I'll never forget you."_ This must be Kaname's mother. She's probably deceased. She must have been the teacher of the kids in the village. I leave the dining area and head back to the main room. I head up the staircase and to the second floor.

The second floor is laid out differently than the first floor. When I stepped on the last step I get the black and white scenario for a moment. It isn't a new image inside my head. It's a memory playing out before my eyes. Alsuo, the little Shibata boy, runs into his bedroom. He's laughing and seems to be beckoning me. Gerald Hemmingway's spirit sobs at the door to my left. It must be Akao's room. _"I left it so you could remember…"_ He says. When he disappears the color returns. Akao's bedroom is directly to my left, and Alsuo's room is on the far wall across from me. Akao's bedroom door is locked. It won't seem to open, but then again, I'm not even sure it is locked. It seems to be healed by something… or someone, on the other side of it. The same goes for Alsuo's room. To the right of Alsuo's door is a sliding partition screen door. It looks like someone is standing on the other side of it. I slowly open it. Ancient text books, religious scrolls, writing ink feathers and spilt ink containers are strewn across the room. There is some bloodshed. This is obviously the teaching room. The 'someone' on the other side is Akao. He's kneeling down next to another spirit, who's lying on their backs with a pool of blood underneath them. It looks like Alsuo…

I raise the camera and take a picture. From it I get the **'In Mourning'** photo (_a photo of Akao Shibata weeping over the dead, bleeding body of his son, Alsuo Shibata; is he mourning out of grief… or guilt?)_ Akao looks up from Alsuo's body and he glances over his shoulder at me. _"How… …?"_ He stands up and retrieves the same butcher knife from before. _"I must silence these voices… I must put a stop to this… one child at a time…" _I battle with Akao once more. However, while running from his attacks, I kick an object on the ground. My first inclination is it's just a book or an ink container, but instead it's a small thing of film. I don't know why it would be there, but I don't mind it one bit. I bend down very quickly to pick it up. Akao's knife is coming right for me, so I duck and jump forward, doing sort of a summersault thing. I get to my feet and start snapping at him again and again… and again. It takes more than eight times, though. I use up about twelve shots until he finally decides to call it a day. He disappears and it sounds like a strange groaning come from his bedroom door. Perhaps it is open now…?

Inside Akao's room is very plain. There is a shrine to the right of the door along the wall. It is dedicated to his late wife. Her picture is in the middle of vanilla scent candles and religious symbols. She is dressed in a white gown with white roses strewn all across her body, and clenched in her hands is a red rose. Her eyes are closed. Is this her funeral picture? The rest of the room has a bed with no sheets on it, which I find very odd. There is a small dresser full of Akao's clothing. Everything's dusty. The paper lamps here cast a normal light and they reside on the floor, like most of them in the houses I enter. Nothing is really here for me to explore or even really take notice of other than the picture of his late wife. I stare at it, trying to make sense of the roses. _White… and red…? This means something… I know it does…_ I whisper softly out loud. Suddenly pale, white fingers slide a notebook from under the door. I pick it up. It's a thin, white book covered in blood. I open it up.

**Akao's Diary 1:** _"I can't believe she's dead… **1/4** The teaching is left up to me. Alsuo offered to help me. He often watched his mother teach the other children of the village. He's such a wonderful boy. **2/4** I can't get these dreams to stop. I keep hearing a voice inside of my head… her voice… she's telling me… she's… she wants me to kill everyone! I… I just want it to stop. **3/4** I can't believe my Alsuo is gone now, too… He's the only thing I had left to keep me sane…Why…? I have to make it stop. I have to end it. **4/4**_

I leave Akao's bedroom and see a shadow underneath Alsuo's door. I can hear his laughter. Is his door open now? I open it and step inside. His entire room is just covered in bloodshed. His bed is bare of any sheets, just like Akao's. Much of his other things have been packed into boxes. Perhaps Akao didn't want to be reminded of his son's things. I bet the pain had been torrid; probably took its wear on Akao. A few stray toys like dolls that are dressed like Alsuo's mother in her funeral photo and a train (just like the one Tomoya Okura had) lie about. Only one paper shade lamp works, so the room isn't very light. My flashlight is useful here. The blood has barely touched the lamp, though. A red glare isn't an immediate problem. In the middle of Alsuo's room is the explanation for the missing sheets. There might be another one of Akao's diaries sitting on top of bloodied white sheets. As I kneel down to grab it Alsuo's dead body appears next to it. I jump back, but there's no indication that he's going to harm me. I pick up the diary.

**Akao's Diary 2:** _"I need to make the voices stop. If I don't, then they might kill me, too. They already took my wife… and my son. **1/3** If the voices want me to kill, then I must. I will get rid of them… all…I'll end these snickering voices… I'll let my beloved wife and my gracious son rest in peace…**2/3** How…? How could he…? Does this mean… I slaughtered the children for no reason? Goddess… forgive me… My Lord, let her be, let her give me solitude… let her give me death…let me be with them one more time…**3/3**"_

After I read the last pages Alsuo's fingers grip the page and pull the book down. I see his eyes at first… those sad eyes… His cadaverous face is next. The bleeding words of 'Endless' are on his face. He… wasn't Defaced, was he? It appears to be self-made. In his right hand is a small pocket knife. The tip is bloody. His neck is cut open as well. I don't get it, but I don't have time to question him. He's crawling onto my lap and looking me in the face. His sad eyes glare deep into mine. What is saying to me? He has no words, but does he really need them? _"She told me she knew me…"_ His boyish voice snarls at me. What is he talking about? His left hand grips my neck. I drop the diary and am too frozen to grab my camera. He chokes me intensely as he starts to try and cut my neck with his pocket knife. When I first feel the slice, reality strikes me. He's trying to kill me! Damnit, do something! I pull the camera up and snap his picture. He cries and whimpers, falling off of me; he covers his eyes with his left arm and shakes his head. He recovers with haste, though, and starts to come at me again. I snap another picture and get to my feet. This battle proceeds to be quick paced. Alsuo recovers very fast from my shots and he also runs at me without stopping. I'm thankful he doesn't take as long as his father, though. It is much harder to hit him, however. I continuously snap and run, snap and run, dodge and sometimes get hit, snap more shots, and miss other times. It takes about nine for Alsuo to finally disperse. _"I just wanted to see my mother again…"_ After Alsuo's spirit disappears a rose and a crinkled note are left where he was. It's a purple rose. _"My color is not just, It is something I know; And as my fate is a must, Now I must go."_ Alsuo's soft voice rings out as I pick it up and another rose is animated in the background of the one photo. I read Alsuo's crinkled note.

**Crinkled Note: **_"I'm sorry. Really, dad, I am sorry. I don't want you to be alone, but I can't take it anymore. I have to see her… one more time. She said… She told me she knew mom… she knew me… and she was getting to know you… Please, understand, dad… Kaname… she's… she's with mom now. I want to be with them. Will you come, too?"_

Once you get your hands on you… I recall the blurry-faced woman who is a like-alike for me. She kept saying that. Does… Does this all have something to do with her and me? Alsuo sacrificed himself so he could be with his sister, Kaname. Kaname had already been sacrificed. He wanted to be with his mother, too. Had she been sacrificed? Who was telling Alsuo that they knew him? Was 'she' referring to Kaname or his mother? Could it have been someone else? Akao lost everything he had… his wife, his son, his daughter… and his mind. The voices he claimed to hear were telling him to kill, so in order to shut them up he killed the children he was supposed to be teaching, but he must have found this note Alsuo left for him. Akao thought the voices drove his wife and Alsuo to death, but now to find Alsuo sacrificed himself must have just destroyed Akao. What were they hearing? I want to know. _"I want to know you…"_ A deep woman's voice echoed in my head. I haven't ever heard her before. Images of a woman covered in red tattoos reaching for me enter my eyes. She goes to touch me, but I move away. This isn't right. What's going on? Am I seeing myself or am I actually doing it? I run out of Alsuo's room and down the stairs. The red tattooed woman is running after me; trying to touch me. I run down the hallway and as I do I can see Alsuo's mother doing the same. She's running right with me. I enter the dining area and I follow her steps. She runs over to the area where, in the colored environment, there was a hole leading to the warehouse, but in this black and white scenario there isn't one. Alsuo's mother grabs a large knife from the nearby table set (not present in the 'colored world'). She slashes and kicks down the wall that was already in bad condition. She heads into the warehouse and I follow. We are just in time as the red tattooed woman catches up with us. Both Alsuo's mother and I trip when heading through the hole in the wall. The tattooed woman stretches her arm down and is about to touch us. All I see is the black. I hear the late mother's screams and the gargle growl of the tattooed woman. _"I want to know you…"_ The blood droplet falls down into the black. Kaname's whimper echoes. _"It's endless… It's endless, Alsuo…"_ A bouquet of white roses was being thrown into the black. One single red rose goes down. The next image is of pale hands holding a white rose. It's Alsuo. He's crying. His tears fall onto the rose pedals and he casts the rose into the coffin of his mother. A veiled priest places the red rose into her clenched hands. Her coffin is on the surface of the water. As she is pushed out into oblivion with the vanilla candles burning, the phrases I heard after collecting the roses are sung, but I can't hear the rest of it as it all fades. Alsuo looks at his father. Everything is black again. The tattooed woman is the last thing I hear.

"_I knew you."_

End

Chapter Thirteen

**Any and all reviews welcomed**

**I will revise if needed**

**Next time: **A Solitude Solstice

**Thank you**

Author's Note

I surely hope things are getting clearer for you. I know they are for me! This is a story I intent on finishing. I can't wait to start the sequel. I already have ideas for it. I would like to point out that some of the things left untouched in this story will emerge in the sequel, as well as a part of the same plot idea, but I plan to make it different. I don't want two of the same stories. I would like some feedback, please. Should I keep it first person? Should I make the character from the sequel have some relative connection with someone in the game or in this story? Please, give me some ideas. I don't want to disappoint anyone with the sequel. I also fear that some of this "Red" stuff is sounding cheesy. I honestly apologize if it did, but from the beginning I wanted to take the element of anger and hate and turn it into something that could expand with the story, as well as fit in with each Fatal Frame game. If it seems like I'm going to make this story all about Fatal Frame 3 now, I'm truly not. I just want to get ideas from every game, and then original ones. I already have a good idea of what the ending will be, but it's what will lead up to the ending that I'm working on.

But please, any feedback for the sequel would be appreciated.

And any questions can be answered.


	14. A Solitude Solstice

Disclaimer

**Please read: **I do not rightfully own the Fatal Frame title or its trademarks. This is only a fan fiction story. It is slightly based on the first, second, and third Fatal Frame, but includes my own characters, locations, and certain items. Any mentioned subjects that are Fatal Frame, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly and Fatal Frame III: The Tormented characters, locations, and certain items are owned by TECMO and used for fan fiction purposes only.

Fatal Frame

The Endless Defacement

Chapter Fourteen

A Solitude Solstice

"_Here I may rest,_

_Here I shall have peace,_

_But my pieces rest far from here…"_

"_The doctor said you may never recover from this… I'm sorry. There's… so much I wanted to tell you."_ Is this… my sister speaking to me…? _"You were so full of life! It doesn't feel right… sitting here, watching you… This isn't you."_ It's not me…_ "I wanted to tell you so many things, but I kept them. I was afraid they might hurt you… I…"_ Her voice cracks and she wheezes a bit. She's crying very hard, but trying to hold it all back so she can speak. _"I know now that I'm going to have to live with my regrets; live knowing that you might never truly know who you are or where you belong… I guess… I guess we all thought that you wouldn't return; that you had already died. Maybe… … maybe you should have… I could burry you, but watching you now just breaks me apart…I want you to sleep… just sleep… Sleep peacefully…"_

I am alone in the warehouse. I stand on my two feet. The air is damp like it has just rained or something. I can smell mildew and the sense of wet hair. Feeling my body shiver, I grab onto a lock of hair from my shoulder. It's soaked in blood, but I'm not bleeding. I drop it and can hear the faint whimpers of Kaname Shibata. They come from somewhere other than the warehouse, however, they don't sound far away. I glance back at the hole in the wall. It is boarded up with wood and nails. Bloody handprints decorate the barricade. As I stare at it I begin to believe I see a pair of eyes through some cracks. It's Kaname. I slowly bring up my camera and snap a picture. Kaname turns away and runs off, quietly whispering, _"Alsuo…"_ The photograph shows a white, transparent image of Kaname standing on the other side of the hole. She's peeking through the cracks and looking at a small boy, Alsuo. It's called, **"Escape?"** Kaname must have had no idea what happens to her little brother. Did Alsuo return to his house to look for his father? Is that when Akao went mad?

On the floor is a very shallow puddle of water. A few of them are about the warehouse. Drops of water still currently fall into them. I look at the ceiling as I go to leave. There are holes, but it does not appear to be raining. As I reach the door I turn around one last time. I don't know why. Something inside of me just feels like taking one last look at this warehouse; like it's the last time I'll ever see it. The puddles on the floor have a red tint to them now. The only thing that comes to mind is the two words, "Red-Waters." It's the first real sign of the red-colored water here without one of those "visions." Did the Shibata house really start this? Could it be a couple of things were just happening at once, and I'm reliving them in this "Red Dream?" I barely open the warehouse door when a small piece of paper falls to the damp ground. It must have been slipped in-between the cracks of the double doors. The red-tint water starts to seep into it. I pick it up before any real damage is done to the note.

**Alsuo's Note: To Kaname 1:**_ "Mother's gone. Father won't talk to us anymore. The other people here try not to look at me. Tomoya won't even come out to play. Sometimes I feel like everyone wants me to go away, too… Go away with mother. Sometimes… I feel like that won't be so bad. I wonder if the ropes hurt. I wonder if… if they give you one moment to collect yourself and come to… Do you know you're going to die? Can you feel it? I wonder if the myths are true. I wonder if they do keep her in the lighthouse… Kaname, I want to see mother. One more time…"_

What exactly are they keeping in the lighthouse? I have heard so many things about someone or something being kept there. I had an encounter there, but it wasn't what they are talking about. I just know it wasn't. It is not Nanako, Mika, Miaka, or Jun. There's someone else. She's different somehow. She's… real. I can't help but feel like I am closing in on something. Is it me? _"Once you get your hands on you…"_ I still don't know what's going on. Is this a dream? Are the doctor and the woman the reality? Why am I dreaming this? Why me? If this is Faranika's 'Red Dream,' why am I in it? I'm not Brianna. I'm not. I want to see the lighthouse… one more time.

I start to head to the left out of the warehouse. The entire village is dripping and soaked with the water. It's not raining. There are two empty houses across from the warehouse. I'm ignoring them now, but one of the doors creaks open. I look over. I can see the fingers of someone. Alsuo, is it? It might be a little boy. I raise my camera lens, but I get a face full of a woman's red eye. _"Let me sleep…"_ She growls. I panic, step back and barely keeping my ground. I hear the camera's click, but I don't remember pushing it with my finger or even seeing the flash. The door to the first empty house creaks open more. I look at my camera and see the film has caught something, but I can't quite figure it out. The film looks blurred. It isn't until I really glance at it that a figure takes shape. It's a woman covered in red, bloodied markings. She's apparently coming out of the empty house. What could be Alsuo is standing behind her and rubbing his eyes. He must have been crying. What does it mean?

Near the empty house's doorway is another small note written by Alsuo. It's addressed to his sister again. It's crinkled like he had been holding it tight in his palm. I open it up.

**Alsuo's Note: To Kaname 2:** _"I'm sorry, sister. I went to see mother one last time. I did something wrong. I found something. It was wrong. I'm sorry. Sister, I'm sorry. Don't go looking for it; or me. I'm gone now. I'm gone now with mother. Father is coming, too. She says he will know. You will, too. You can come with us. Just not now, sister. Not now, she says. She says you have to leave. Leave before father. He's not well. I was wrong, sister. I'm gone now."_

Alsuo must have done something terrible by mistake when he went to the lighthouse to try and see his mother. Did the red woman have something to do with it? Did she be let free instead of Alsuo's mother? I doubt she's his mother. I saw her running from the woman. Faranika must have used her. It _did_ start at the Shibata house, didn't it? I'm just so tired. I feel worn out. How long must I dream? How long must I sleep? How long…? _How long…?_ My voice fades into another. It's the woman from before.

"_How long, doctor, will she need to stay here? When can I take her home?"_ The woman sniffles quickly. I hear rustling around. The doctor is shuffling is feet. He's probably thinking of an answer. _"Doctor…? Doctor, please, tell me anything; anything that's the truth. I can handle it."_

The doctor clears his throat. _"I've called a professional. His name is Murdock Murrioko. He specializes in this… this thing."_ I know that name. What's going on? Dagan's father isn't dead, after all? Maybe this is a dream and not the reality. I… I can't tell anymore. Some fast, light footsteps hurry into the room. I hear the doctor catch his composure and I believe a coat or something is placed down somewhere. He's here!

"_Mister Murrioko, he tells me you're a specialist."_ The woman's sniffles seem to have passed.

"_Yes, ma'am."_ He speaks in the same tone as Dagan. His voice is higher pitched than I remembered from my… uh… encounters? Anyway, he's speaking very nicely and seems to have confidence. _"I'm sorry about your sister."_ The woman eases the sudden tension with a sigh and a rustle in her purse. She's probably getting more tissues in preparation for what Murdock might have to say about me. _"I've read all her files… more than once. It's just like the others."_

"_The… others…"_ The woman cries a bit. _"So, there has been more just like my sister. Tell me, what has happened to them? Is there any hope at all?"_

The doctor begs his pardon and quickly leaves the room. I had heard a previous beeping. He had a page to some other patient's room, I bet.

"_There have been countless others, ma'am. They all have the same symptoms as your sister. They have been in comatose states for weeks, months even. One of them has been 'trapped' for over five years now. Are you familiar with the cases involving the Holy and the Snake?" _The woman makes an unsettling noise. I am guessing she's shrugged. _"There are many legends about it. I won't get into those, but what I will say is, there were cases where people found themselves in an endless dream where bit-by-bit they would follow their dead loved ones deeper into a manor until they could no longer return, and in the real world, there was nothing but soot left where they were."_ I know I heard about this. _"It was believed because the dreamer was usually the sole survivor of some tragic accident. They became tortured at the fact they were the only ones to have lived. Almost, and literally in the terms, blaming themselves for living. The pain of losing someone eat away at them. Naturally, they would follow the dead."_ This has nothing to do with me. I'm not following anyone who is dead. I'm simply trying to find a way out.

The woman reaches and bumps into me, or at least what I'm on (a bed?). She must have retrieved something. _"It's her diary. She wrote in it for a while. She kept a lot of notes about what she sees. The last page… It's what prompted me to bring her to the hospital in the first place. Since she wrote it, she hasn't woken up."_

Murdock starts to read. As he reads "my apparent diary," which I don't recall keeping, I can see the red woman coming for me. My eyes are closed, I can see hints of black, but sometimes it flashes like a bad television reception back to the empty house. I can see Alsuo occasionally and he points behind me towards the doorway, where I don't see in my vision. In stead, I actually see me, looking back at… well, me. In the black moments (in between flashes) I see the read woman coming at me. As she gets closer here, me and my "out of body experience" reacts the same way. I can also hear the voice of the blurry-faced woman (who still sounds like a growling version of me) reading along with Murdock. I also get slight images of Alsuo opening the lighthouse door. He enters, but he leaves dragging a rope behind him. One end of the rope, his hands, the other end… a severed, bloodied head of a woman…

"_His kiss is poison. I found myself no longer in love with him. I saw the look in his eyes. He wants to kill me. Why hasn't anyone come to save me? We've been out here in the forest for days. I'm so scared. He says I am crazy, but I know I can hear people talking. I… I don't believe in ghosts, not usually. They… say things… really weird stuff. He won't admit it, but I know he hears them. I can see his body tense when the man whispers, 'We need another one… Fresh meat… Look at this stranger… His heart is…already bloody…' I find myself forgetting why we even came out here. I think he tricked me into believing it's romantic. I forgot my family. I can't remember their names! What happened to me? I can FEEL everything changing. It's like thousands of parasites are pulling at my chest… He wants to kill me…I know it…The nights are getting longer as we keep traveling deeper into the forest. Why are we moving? Shouldn't we be heading back the way we came? He must want to lure me somewhere further away from humanity so no one will see; no one will find my decaying body. Oh, well… I have nothing left…Fire… the hands… They are all leading me to the place…The blood comes over the railing, over the bridge… The river is drowning him… He WANTED to kill me…He should have when he had the chance to…Villagers are—" _I know what these are! They are what I thought was the ramblings of some strange woman. It was me after all. It… is me…

"_His body washed on shore. The Master of the Village gave me a dirty look. 'He was your husband, after all.' He says to me. I told him not to rub it in. Bad mistake… He has the entire village whispering about me… I can hear them judging me… 'Murderer…' They say… Their words are feeble sheep… Sheep? They eat grass… If there's no grass… The river that runs red is being drained. It taints the village… they think… I look at it with a reminder of my glory…The statues around here… I am their only protector… That's why the whispers came to me! That is why he could not kill me… and I could kill him… and…"_ The red woman keeps coming for me. In my "out of body" vision I keep backing away. Alsuo rubs his eyes and cries. In some flashes I can see him cradling the severed head and rocking back and forth. I'm almost going to back right up against the one wall. I can't do that!

"_My entire run-in with this village has only gotten worse. I can feel their hatred as they stare at me. I swear I didn't kill him! I was only protecting myself! It was his fault… all of this is his fault!" "The Master of the Village has been preoccupied with the other outsiders lately. I'm glad they are here. Finally, people of my species! I mean, I'm no peasant, and I surely don't like their ancient customs. I think I can leave now. I've befriended one the outsiders. It seems there is more to this place than I knew." "Someone's entered my dreams… They're not me! No… it's not me! It's not! IT'S NOT!" "I… I keep seeing the red… the red, the red, the red… The redness everywhere… creeping, seeping… relentless voices that never shut up… SHUT UP, SHUT UP! SHUT… UP!" "Why do they watch me like always? Like always, they watch me… taunts… twists and turns in a tunnel… God, why? I miss him… I miss him… I think I'll go find him now. He needs me." "I… … … … … … … … … …found him… …He isn't dead! He waited for me! I'm so happy… we can be together again! Wait… just another… just another bad day… just another dreamless night… awake… He's gone… SHUT UP!" _

"_I lost him, forgot where I put him, never did hide him, and never will find this grave again… No, no… That's not right! It's not right! Sometimes…I see the child laugh. Don't remind me. I keep forgetting yOUU… YoUUO…Dark, dark, dark into the light… I can see what it looks like. With this light, I can see what the night looks like. Poems… writing never ends… Gone… gone… I'm done…Stupid words She felt alone, and I took her with me. It's not me… I didn't find you. I lost him again. Along the trail… near the stones… Letters…SHUT UP! "_ I can hear the woman's wheezing. She's crying so heavily. I know my hands must be twitching. They have to notice me! I'm here! I know I'm screaming! I can hear it! Why won't they save me? Wake me up! Please, wake me up! It hurts… each step the woman takes hurts me… Her hands fit so neatly around my neck. In my vision, I stop being afraid. There is no Alsuo with the severed head, there is no village, there is no empty house; it's just me. My eyes close. I thought I had them open. She's killing me… She's killing me this time. She'll do it right. I know she will.

"_I'm still trapped here… everything's dark… everything's dark… darker than the woods… darker than the waters… darker than the face that keeps me here… regardless of my cornfield, I am not here for the wooden tables… Second time this year… speaking with her like I know… like I was here…He keeps me… NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE, NOT TRUE… They drained that red water… the water that was keeping me here… no more faces… no more lights… the garden of my mind… blood… SHUT UP! … …He came back, you, know? He didn't take me, saying I was too weak, too tired. IT'S NOT TRUE! I'm alive… living in you, Brianna… THIS IS THE LAST TIME I EVER TAKE ADVICE FROM YOU! YOU CAN'T EVEN KILL RIGHT! KILL ME! KILL ME!" "Don't bother coming for me, sister. I'm gone now…"_ The red woman has finished her job. The air is completely out of me. My lungs burn and my heart aches, but my mind seems to be at peace. Finally, no more dreaming._ "I'm gone…"_

End

Chapter Fourteen

End

Fatal Frame: The Endless Defacement

Author's Note

If it seems it ended strangely, it did. Please, don't hate me. XD

I couldn't end this without the sequel/prequel.

It will explain more than I ever could here.

I realize I limited myself too much with this story,

A prequel is the best solution, and it WILL pick up where this left off.

I promise you will love it.

At least you know what the 'woman's recollections' were all about.

Well, sort of D

You'll know more in the sequel, I promise.


End file.
